Indiana Jones 4: 1952 Version
by Jlbrew28
Summary: The events of the new movie take place five years sooner. Mutt is just fifteen when he goes to find Indy. Will follow events of the movie rather close, so if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS. Warning: spanking later on.
1. The Hero

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

_**Kindom of the Crystal Skull**_

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielburg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 1: The Hero

The year was 1952.

The army caravan moves down the Nevada roads without incident, intent on reaching their specific destination without causing a scene.

A car load with four teenagers, two boys and two girls, pulls along side the lead car. Their in a souped-up 1930 something hot rod and are obviously expecting a race.

The young looking driver of the army vehicle, a 1950 sedan in drab olive green with a white star on the driver's side door, is more than happy to race. Unfortunately, the colonel sitting next to him isn't. Though the kids keep egging him on, the driver slows the vehicle down to give the others in the caravan a chance to catch up. The kids move on, the boys hollering victory cries into the wind and the girls turning around to blow kisses at the "losers".

"Spoiled brats," the colonel mutters, and the driver nods his head in agreement with him.

Turning onto a side road, the caravan comes to a halt in front of a guard gate, three guards at the ready to stop any and all who would enter the military facility beyond the gate. The colonel exits the car, making his way over to the waiting guards—who upon recognizing his rank go to attention and salute.

"I'm sorry, Sir," the lead guard tells him, "but this entire area is off limits for the next twenty four hours for weapons testing. T-That includes you, Sir."

The colonel, a sharp faced man with a menacing expression, smiled humorlessly. Bending down to tie his boot laces, he reveals the machine guns pointed at the guards. The sound of gun fire erupts and then three thuds are heard.

Getting back up, the colonel smiles at the sight of the three bullet-riddled guards.

Issuing orders, the colonel climbs back into the car and the caravan drives on into the military base. Stopping at a hangar marked 51, both driver and colonel exit. A troop of armed men surround the car, and the colonel orders that their prisoners be brought of the trunk.

The first brought out is a squat looking man with graying brown hair and a short mustache.

"No, not him," the colonel orders, "bring out the professor."

A second man is brought out and tossed to the ground. His fedora hat is thrown beside him, picking it up as he gets to his feet he puts it on and faces his captors. He's a tall man with graying hair in his early fifties. His sharp jaw and penetrating gray-blue eyes stare at the men first in confusion but then in anger when he hears the Russian most of them are speaking.

His name is Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. and he is an Proffesor of Archeology; part time.

The rest of the time, he is...The Hero.


	2. The Villain

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielburg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 2: The Villain

Indiana, called Indy by his friends, backed up beside the squat looking man that had been removed from the trunk of the car before him. His name was George "Mac" McHale and he had been his friend for over fifteen years, ever since they'd served together as spies during WW 2.

"This doesn't look good, Mac," Indy told him.

Mac just shrugged. "We've been in worse scrapes," the man said, his British accent of the cockney variety, "eh? Remember Flensburg?"

Indy grinned. He did remember. "We were a lot younger than," he reminded the man, who was just a year or so younger than his own fifty-two years.

"Speak for yourself, ole boy," the other man said, grinning, "I'm still young. Five hundred bucks says we get out of this."

The large colonel who had ordered their removal stepped forward, looking at the two of them menacing. He had sharp, beady eyes and wore a wicked smug on his ugly mug.

"Make that a hundred," Mac said, a bit nervously.

Indy grinned at that, until the sharp faced colonel looked his way.

The man pointed to the building marked 51. "You recognize this building, yes?" he asked him, his voice carrying a very distinct and recognizable accent.

"A Ruskie," Indy heard Mac say, causing him to grin. "Definitely, not good." Especially seeing as how America was currently embroiled in a small little conflict with the Russians known as the Cold War. Many people were actually getting paranoid, seeing Communists or "Reds", around every corner; even those in high places.

Indy shrugged. "Go to Hell where you belong," he told the man, smirking. He tensed his body, expecting a punch to the jaw.

The colonel didn't disappoint. He balled up his fist and sent the older archeologist onto his khaki clad backside.

"Excuse me," Indy said, working his jaw, "I meant to say, "Go to hell where you belong, _comrade!"_

The colonel growled, a vein popping out on his cheek. He reached down and picked Indy up by his shoulders, nearly all the way off the ground.

_Geez, what does this Red do? Lift cars as weights!_ The older adventurer thought to himself, preparing to be knocked a good one.

It never came.

Just as the colonel was going to deliver a jaw-breaking punch, a sharp feminine voice yelled out, "_Neyet!" _

Indy opened his eyes as he felt himself set on his own two feet again. Looking around, he found that the one to call out was a dark haired woman dressed in U.S. Army garb. She couldn't have been more than thirty years old and Indy would have thought her beautiful except for three things: the horrible banged, shoulder length hair cut she sported, the sword (a rapier, by the looks of it) that hung at her side, and the absolute lack of anything resembling emotion anywhere on her face; especially with her cold, ice blue eyes.

She grinned, almost cat like, as she approached him. She looked him up and down, appraisingly. "Where did you find him?" she asked, speaking to the colonel beside her. By the sound of her voice, she was also from Russia (probably the Northern Ukraine.)

"In Mexico," the colonel answered, being handed a bag Indy recognized from one of the soldiers standing guard, "digging in the dirt for these!" He emptied the contents of the bag, revealing priceless antique pottery from the South American tribe known as the Mayans.

Indy watched in horror as the colonel lifted his booted foot and stomped on the priceless antiques until they were nothing but dust. His anger doubled, and he was more determined than ever to give these Red bastards a little bit of his own brand of American "hospitality".

"You will have to forgive Colonel Dovchenko," she said, grinning wickedly. "He has no appreciation for antiquities…which is something I am attempting to train him out of. My name, Dr. Jones, is Dr. Irina Spalko. Three times I have received Order of Lenin and also metal as Hero of Soviet Socialist Labor, and for what? Because I know things, Dr. Jones, and that which I do not know I find out."

Indy grinned lopsidedly. "Everybody's got to have a hobby, I guess," he said, smirking.

Spalko stared at him coldly, but continued with her speech as if he hadn't interrupted. "What I need to know now, Dr. Jones," she said, pointing to his forehead, "is in there. Come." She turned and started for the doors of the hangar, which has just been sprung open by two of her soldiers with tools.

Guns were pointed at Indy and Mac's backs and they were shoved in the direction the "lady" had gone. "Not very hospitable blocks, are they?" Mac observed.

"What do you expect, Mac?" Indy said, sneeringly. "Their Reds."

Irina Spalko whirled around, glaring at him. It was obvious she had heard his comment. She walked over to him. "I was told you were a challenge, Dr. Jones," she said, coldly, "let us put that to the test, shall we?"

She then reached up with her hand, as if to touch his face, only she just held it there. An intense look of concentration came upon her face as if she was trying to bore inside his head with nothing but her eyes. In truth, she actually was.

Indy smirked when he realized the lady was actually trying to read his mind, searching for whatever information she believed him to have. "You ain't gonna find anything that way, sister," he told her. "My head's harder than a rock. Believe me, my dad told me that often enough when I was a kid."

Spalko eyes filled for the first time with rage, realizing he was correct, but then she smiled evilly. "Very well, Dr. Jones," she said, coldly, "we will do this the old fashion way. What we seek: a coffin-length crate whose contents are highly magnetized. You remember this object, yes?"

Indy shrugged. "Lady," he said, gesturing to the rows upon rows of boxes inside the hangar, "this place has boxes like that all over the place. How the hell am I supposed to find the one you want? I don't even know where we are; let alone what the hell you're after."

"You know, Dr. Jones," Spalko said, "because five years ago you helped unearth this object…in Roswell, New Mexico. Does that refresh your memory?"

Indy's eyes widened. He did remember that fiasco, where he and about twenty other archeologist and diggers were loaded onto a bus with blacked out windows and told to keep quiet the entire time. They were brought out into the middle of nowhere somewhere in the middle of the American Southwest. None of them had ever been sure just _what_ they had helped unearth, only that it was so important to the top brass that they were threatened with treason if they ever mentioned their finding to anyone.

"Like told your buddy," Indy said, narrowing his eyes, "go to hell!"

Instead of anger appearing on the woman's face, her wicked smiled seemed to grow. "Very well, Dr. Jones," she said, coyly, "we will do this the hard way." She gestured and Mac suddenly found a gun butt thrust in his gut, toppling the large man to his knees. He was then dragged over to a nearby truck where his head was placed in front of the rear tires. The sound of the gear shift being shifted into reverse was heard.

Indy's eyes widened in horror. He couldn't let his friend die because of him…too many people in his life were dead already!

"I tell you now, Dr. Jones," Spalko spoke, coldly. "You **will** help us."

Indy nodded, holding up his hands in a time out gesture. "All right, all right," he said, hurriedly. "I'll help you."

Spalko grinned, wickedly. "Good," she said, "I knew you'd see things my way."

Indy choked back the curse he wanted to fling at her.

_Just you wait, sister._

_Just you wait._

TBC…


	3. The Traitor

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 3: The Traitor

"I'm gonna need a compass," Indy told Spalko's goons. "You know, it points north, south, east…" He received only blank stares in return. "For crying out loud! Give me gun powder, then."

Dovchenko looked at Spalko, who nodded. He then emptied the cartridge in his gun and handed them to the archeologist.

Indy climbed onto a stack of crates, preparing to toss the gun powder he'd removed from the shells into the air.

"I warn you now, Dr. Jones," Spalko told him, threateningly, "that if this is some type of ruse…"

Indy rolled his eyes. "Lady," he told her, "the box you want is highly magnetized. If that's the case the metal in this gun powder should point the way to it." With that being explained, he tossed the black powder into the air. It hung there for a moment, but then as if pulled by some mysterious force flew in the direction of the crate the Russians were after.

"Quickly," Spalko ordered, "follow it!" Off they went, continuing to toss powder into the air to follow where it led. After a while, they finally reached a pile of boxes, but they all more or less looked the same. "Which is it?"

The dark haired woman's question was directed at Indy. "Uh," he said, thinking, "give me some pellets." Again, her men looked to her for permission. She nodded, and he was given the pellets. Climbing to the top of the pile, he dropped the pellets which began rolling as if to fall off…only they didn't, instead they continued down the side of the pile and vanished in the cracks between the boxes.

This meant that the box they sought was somewhere in the middle of the pile. Spalko began ordering her men to remove the boxes, until they found the one covered in pellets and powder. "At last," Spalko breathed, amazed. "I have found it."

Indy and Mac were all but forgotten as the Russians removed the steel container, resembling a coffin, from the wooden crate. Opening it, they found a shroud like a body bag only made of some strange metallic substance that was highly magnetized. So focused were they, they didn't see Indy move.

Grabbing his bullwhip from around the shoulder of the soldier that had taken it from him, he punched the soldier in the face and sent him sprawling. Grabbing his gun, he tossed it to Mac and then used the whip again to get snatch himself a weapon from one of the other soldiers.

Spalko and the other spun around, to find two machine guns pointed at them. "Drop the guns," Indy ordered, leveling his weapon at the dark haired woman herself, "or the dear Dr. Spalko dies!"

At first, the Russians obeyed but almost instantly their weapons were raised once more. Indy was confused, until he felt the tip of another gun pointed at his cheek. Turning, he saw that Mac had his machine gun pointed at him, too!

Indy was stunned beyond belief. "W-Why, Mac?" he asked, hurt and angry. "After all those years we spied on the Reds, you go and join 'em!"

Mac shrugged. "What can I say, mate?" he asked, casually. "I'm afraid I ran into a spot of terrible bad luck, couldn't afford to go home empty handed, and these Ruskies pay well. I guess, I'm a born Capitalist."

Indy glared at him, as he moved to stand beside the Russians. "Any final words, Dr. Jones?" the woman asked, coldly.

Indy smirked. "I like Ike," he told her, shrugging.

"Drop your gun," she ordered him. "Now!"

"Whatever you say, Sister," Indy told her, slamming his machine gun on the ground so that it fired a spray of bullets in their directions. He took this opportunity to scurry up a pile of crates and began running. A hail of bullet fire followed, but he was too high up and moving to fast.

"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered to himself as he came to the end of the row and lashed his bullwhip out to snag a light fixture to swing himself to the next row.

Spalko had ordered her men to load the steel container onto a jeep, which had promptly sped away towards the exit of the hangar. Indy raced after it. Using his bull whip yet again, he hooked a light fixture and prepared to swing onto the jeep. Unfortunately, he missed it and ended up in the truck directly behind it.

"Dang," he muttered to the two stunned guards he'd crashed in to, "I was sure that was closer." He then elbowed one out of the truck and the punched the other out as well. He then took the wheel and began putting the petal to the floor to try and catch up with Spalko's jeep.

Getting close enough, he launched himself onto the hood of the truck and then dove onto the jeep itself. Spalko whirled, ordering Dovenchko to handle it while she took the wheel. He did so, spinning around and climbing into the back with ending. The two began a wrestling match on top of the steel container, neither quite able to get a good hold onto the other.

Unfortunately, the jeep took a sharp turn and the two of them were thrown. They crashed through glass door in the floor and fell several feet, landing on a jet engine attached to a train track…well, Indy landed on the jet engine. Dovchenko landed on the thing's controls, causing it to fire up and sending the archeologist on a _very_ fast ride.

Indy thought his face was going to peel right off, due to the intense speed at which the jet engine was traveling along the track. Fortunately, the engine ran out of fuel rather quickly and began to slow. Finally, it stopped and Indy was able to roll off of it. Picking himself back up, he stumbled a few feet away from it, attempting to regain some sense and balance.

"I'm definitely getting too old for this," he muttered to himself.

The sound of vehicles approaching made him look back down the train tracks. The Russians were pursuing him.

It was time for him to pull one of his famous vanishing acts, but he promised himself that this was far from over; he still owed that traitor for stabbing him in the back.

_Mac, I'm gonna break your nose the next time we meet._

_Count on it, pal._

TBC…


	4. The Kid

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 4: The Kid

Indy had managed to hitch a ride to the nearest town, getting in contact with a couple buddies of his high up in the military chain…they vouched for him and he was allowed to explain what happened at the top secret area 51.

The brass was far from please, however, and warned him that he was in no way to go after Spalko, Mac, or any of her goons. He was to go home to Connecticut and teach his archeology classes. Pissed off, but not wanting to get into a fight he wasn't sure he could win anyway, he decided to take their advice.

Taking a plane from Las Vegas to Chicago, he then boarded a train that took him from there to New York. He then took a smaller train from there to the town in which he taught at Marshall College. Once more dressed in his everyday clothes of suit, bowtie, and wire-rim spectacles he looked more like the professor he was rather than the brash adventurer he had once been.

_Which is the real me?_ He wondered, curious. When he'd been younger, the fedora, the leather jacket, and the bull whip suited him just fine, they still did really, but as he'd gotten older it seemed more and more the man in the bowtie and glasses was who he was becoming…just like his father.

Thinking about his dad made Indy sad, as Henry Sr. had passed away two years ago. What made things worse was that his old friend Marcus Brody, who had been Indy's friend and financer of many of his adventures over the years, had passed away earlier this year as well.

_I'm all alone,_ he thought to himself. Would he spend the rest of his life alone? Like his father had, after his mother had passed on and he'd gone off to have adventures. Was he destined for follow so closely in his dad's foot prints?

There had been many women in his life, but even he had to admit he hadn't really _loved_ any of them…except one.

_Marion, _he thought remembering the feisty dark haired daughter of his mentor, Adner Ravenwood.

He'd fallen in love with her when he was just twenty-five and she was eighteen. Unfortunately, he wasn't ready to settle down and so he'd left…leaving her with a broken heart and ending his friendship with Abner. They met up again tens years later when a group of Nazi had wanted to find the Ark of the Convenient. Find it they did, and were destroyed by its Holy Power. Only he and Marion had survived, and they had remained together for almost a year after that.

_Then you up and call it quits a week before the wedding, _he berated himself. _You idiot!_

It's funny, he had thought he was doing the right thing at the time but as the years passed and he could never find another to fill the hole in his heart the way Marion could, he began to realize what a boob he'd been. He'd had his perfect woman and he'd let her slip through his fingers…twice!

He had vowed a long time ago that if their paths crossed a third time, he wouldn't let her go this time.

_Who are you kidding, _he told himself, _she's probably married with a bunch of kids by now._

The train pulled up to the station and the call to exit the train was given. Grabbing his worn suitcase, he headed off the train. He was headed for the depot to call a taxi to take him to his house when he heard a young voice call out.

"Hey, buddy! Hey, mister! Hey, professor! Hold up!"

Turning at the sound of the voice and wondering if it was really him it was calling out to, he found himself staring at a teenage boy of about fifteen. Indy grinned, because the kid looked like something out of one of the latest Marlon Brando or James Dean movie. Hair greased back into a pompadour, black leather motorcycle jacket, scuffed black leather motorcycle boots, and rolled up blue jean Dungarees…the only thing he was missing was the motorcycle itself.

"You talking to me, kid?" Indy asked him.

"If you're Professor Jones, I am," the kid told him.

"That'd be me," Indy said, grinning, "what can I do for you?"

"You're a friend of Harold Oxley, ain'tcha?" the kid asked next.

Indy's eyes widened. He hadn't spoken to the Ox in nearly fifteen years! "Yeah, I am," he said, "or at least I used to be. What about 'im?"

"Their gonna kill him!" the boy all but shouted at him. "And my mom, too!"

Indy's eyes widened, and he automatically scanned the crowd for any suspicious looking people. "Shh," he ordered the kid, "keep it down, will ya? You don't want to attract that kind of attention. Now what do you mean by their going to kill him? Who are they?"

The kid shrugged. "Hell if I know," he told him, "but my mom sent me this letter and told me to give it to you."

Indy looked confused. "How does your mother know me?" he asked, curious. "What's her name?"

"She told me to ask if you're jaw still hurt?' the kid told him.

"My jaw?" Indy asked, rubbing it. "What did she mean by that?"

Again, the kid shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "She mentioned something about a bar in Nepal or somewhere like that. Said you'd know what it meant."

Indy felt his heart leap into his throat. There was only one woman he knew who had owned a bar in Nepal and who would ask if his jaw still hurt from the punch she delivered him nearly sixteen years ago after he'd walked through her door for the second time. "Marion," he exclaimed. "Marion Ravenwood's your mother!?"

The kid nodded. "Yeah," he said, "so are you gonna help me or not, old man?"

Indy bristled a bit at the 'old man' but decided to let it go. "Come on," he said, gesturing towards the terminal. "Let's go find somewhere and talk, okay?"

The kid nodded. "Sure," he said, "can we get something to eat?"

Indy grinned. "Sure," he said, "my treat. What's your name, by the way?"

The kid seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then said, "Mutt."

Indy looked at him in confusion. "What?" he asked, as they made their way towards the exit.

The kid glared at him. "My name's Mutt," he told him.

"What kind of name is that?" Indy asked, indignantly. Even Marion wouldn't name her kid something like _that._

"The one I picked," Mutt replied, sticking his jaw out stubbornly as if daring him to say something about it.

Indy sighed. _Kids!_

"I was just wondering," he told him, "now simmer down. Ya don't have to get ruffled so easily just to prove you're tough. Now, let's go this way. I know a diner we can talk at."

He started walking down the street, the kid following right beside him.

_Marion's kid. I can't believe it._

It seemed their paths were going to cross again.

He just didn't know whether to be happy about it or not.

TBC…


	5. The Chase

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 5: The Chase

At Arnie's Diner, the local hang out for teens, collegians, and greasers, Indy and Mutt scored at table not too far from the door. While the kid ordered a burger and fries, he simply asked for a turkey sandwich and a cup of coffee.

He still couldn't believe that this boy was Marion's son.

Now that he knew that, he could see some of the same features between mother and son but he couldn't quite put his finger on who else the kid looked like. Someone familiar, but he couldn't for the life of him think who it might be. "Where's your father?" he asked, suddenly.

Mutt looked at him, seeming once more to hesitate before answering. "Hell if I know," he said, shrugging.

Indy was beginning to dislike that phrase and fast. "Well, you must know something about him?' he asked. "Was he and your mom even married?"

Mutt again shrugged. "She said he was dead," he said, clearing his throat a bit. "Said he died in the war or something."

Indy nodded, not believing a word of it. The kid was lying, the question was why? Their orders arrived then and they started eating. He watched the kid load his burger down with ketchup and mustard and then did the same with the fries. His stomach felt queasy at the sight of it.

_How do kids eat that junk?_

"So," he said, "you said you're mom sent you a letter, from where?"

The kid shrugged. "Somewhere in South America," he told him. "The Ox called and said he'd found some sort of relic: a crystal skull or something like that. Anyway, Mom thought he sounded a bit weird, thought something had happened to make him start going bonkers or something, and so she decided to go down and check things out for herself."

"She just left you alone?" Indy asked, suspiciously.

The kid blushed at that. "Well, no," he said. "She thinks I'm at school."

Indy raised an eyebrow at that. "Why aren't you?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mutt glared at him. "None of your business," he told him, rudely.

Indy bristled at that, wanting to tell the kid to watch his mouth but held onto his temper. Now was not the time to chew the brat out for rudeness.

"The point is," Mutt told him, ignoring the stern look he was being given, "Mom called me about three days ago and said she was sending me a letter the Ox had given her. She said they'd both been kidnapped by people who were after what Ox had found…only he hid it somewhere and they were trying to get her to tell them where it was. She managed to escape long enough to get the letter and call me. That's when I remembered her telling me about you, that you'd probably be able to help. You're some sort of grave robber, right?"

Indy glared at that. "I'm a teacher," he told him, firmly. "Just like Marion's father, your granddad, Abner was. She ever tell you about him?"

Mutt nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said, "didn't mean nothing by it, old timer. Don't go getting' your feathers all ruffled."

Indy huffed. "I'm not _that_ old, kid," he told him, "now wipe your mouth!" He tossed him a napkin to wipe the ketchup and mustard off his upper lip.

Mutt did so, rolling his eyes. Who cared if he had stuff on his face, it was his mom and Ox he was worried about. Reaching into his pocket, he took out the letter and handed it to Indy.

"Here," he told him, "this is the letter that my mom sent that the Ox wrote. It's not in English, so I couldn't make head or tails of it."

Indy took the letter and quickly put it in his pocket. Two suspicious looking guys in suits had just entered the diner and were making their way towards their table. "Don't look now, kid," he told Mutt, "but we've got company."

"Dr. Jones," one of the two said, speaking with a heavily Russian accent, "we will take the letter now." He held out his hand towards him.

Indy spread his hands out innocently. "Letter?" he asked. "What letter?"

"The one the boy just gave you," the other, also speaking with a Russian accent said.

"Hey, man," Mutt muttered, wrinkling his nose in disgust, "do I look like a mailman to you?"

The two men grinned wickedly. "You will come with us, yes?" the first asked.

"Now," the second said, yanking Mutt out of his chair.

The kid reached into his jacket and brought out a switchblade, ready for a fight.

Indy winced, seeing the guns the two men pulled out. "Nice try, kid," he told the boy, gently, "but I think you're outgunned."

Mutt's shoulders slumped as the knife was yanked out of his hand and put into the pocket of the suit that had a hold of him. "Come along quietly," the second goon ordered, "and no one will be hurt."

"Right," Indy said, moving towards the door. As he did saw, he looked around for a means of distraction. He found it in a burly looking college jock standing next to a girl in poodle-skirt.

"Hey, kid," he said to Mutt, "how about given Joe College there a knuckle sandwich?"

Mutt looked confused. "Huh?" he asked.

Indy nodded towards the collegian. "Put his lights out," he told the kid, "just don't break anything. On him or yourself." The last part was added as a means of caution.

Mutt smiled. "Gottcha," he said, and then spun around to slug the collegian square in the jaw.

The fight that broke out between the greasers and the jocks, and pretty much everyone else within the diner, was enough of a distraction that Indy was able to grab a hold of Mutt and haul him out the door and away from the Russian thugs.

Outside, they looked for a means of escape. Mutt found it in the form of a motorcycle parked outside. Luckily, the key had been foolishly left in the ignition and he hopped on and started her up.

Indy deadpanned. "You sure you're old enough to handle this?" he asked, skeptically.

Mutt smirked. "You sure you're young enough to hold on?" he threw back at him.

Never one to ignore a challenge, and seeing that this was perhaps their best means of escape, he hopped on and the boy let the bike fly.

Unfortunately, the Russians pursued them in a car. They were chased through the streets of the town at break neck speeds, but it was obvious Mutt knew how to handle a motorcycle. Once or twice the Russians almost caught up, but the boy managed to avoid them.

They were then chase onto the campus of Marshall College, where the boy was forced to actually go into the library at a break neck speed.

Indy was not at all happy about this.

"MUTT!" he hollered, seeing the wall coming up on them fast.

Mutt just laughed, and then tilted the bike onto its side so that they slid along with floor underneath the tables to come to a halt at the wall. The teenager was on his feet again in seconds, and getting the bike ready to move again.

Indy came up to, furious. "I'm driving," he told the kid, firmly.

Mutt didn't move. "Fat chance, Gramps," he told him, kicking the bike back into gear.

Indy glared, a vein in his neck starting to throb. He felt the strong urge to box the kid's ears…or knock him on his butt, he wasn't sure which yet.

"Fine," he said, "but no more stunts."

"Sure thing," Mutt said, smirking. "Anything you say, professor!" With that, they were racing out of the library again.

Unfortunately, the Russians were waiting for them but Mutt easily outmaneuvered them. They ended up crashing into the recently put up statue of Marcus Brody, whose head came off and crashed through their wind shield.

Mutt thought it was hilarious.

Indy didn't.

"Sorry," the boy said, ceasing to laugh when the man leveled a disapproving glare at him.

Indy sighed. "Just head that way," he order the boy. "I know where we can find out what Ox's letter says."

Mutt nodded, and Indy directed him towards his on-Campus home.

_I'm definitely getting too old for this!_

TBC…


	6. The Legend

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 6: The Legend

At Indy's on-campus house, the middle-aged adventurer told the kid to stow the bike behind some bushes and to follow him inside.

"Wow," Mutt exclaimed when he entered the rather large house, "you live here?"

Indy nodded, making his way to his study/den. "Yeah," he said, "why?"

Mutt just shrugged. "I didn't know teachin' paid so good," he told him, smirking.

Indy rolled his eyes. "It really doesn't," he told him, "but it was in my contract that I be provided a house on campus. This is the one they gave me. I've lived here, when I wasn't off being a "grave robber", for more than twenty-five years now.

His den was filled with book cases, with thick dusty volumes along the shelves. He went to one and selected the particular book he wanted. Sitting down, he took out the letter Mutt had given him and looked it over. He then flipped in the book until he found the same sort of symbols, or rather close looking ones, to those in the letter.

Indy grinned. "Only Ox would write a letter in a dead language," he told the boy. "It's Koihoma."

Mutt looked perplexed. "Coy-what?" he asked, scratching his head.

"It's a pre-Columbian dialect," Indy explained. "It's supposedly the language that the Olmec, Mayan, and Nahutl dialects sprang from."

Still, the boy looked at him as if were crazy. "You speak it?" he asked, amazed.

Indy chuckled. "No," he said, "nobody does. It hasn't actually been spoken, if it ever was, in nearly seven thousand years. Most believe that it may have just been a written form of the lingua franca." He looked back down then, looking back and forth between the letter and the book; copying notes as he did so.

Mutt rolled his eyes. _Thanks for the lecture, professor_. Bored, he started looking around the room. Seeing some artifacts on a near by shelf, he went to get a closer look at them. He had just started to reach out to touch one of them, when Indy's voice made him jump.

"Don't touch," the archeologist ordered, never taking his eyes off the notes he was writing.

Mutt turned to him and glared. _Know-It-All. _He was tempted to give him the finger for the comment.

"I wouldn't," Indy told him, glancing up at him over the tops of his spectacles, "if you know what's good for you, anyway."

Mutt scowled, coming back over to him and plopping down beside him and crossing his arms. "You figured that thing out yet, or what?" he asked, sullenly.

Indy grinned, smugly. "A little bit," he said, tapping his note pad. "It reads: _Follow the lines in the Earth that only gods can read to Orellana's cradle, guarded by the living dead."_

"So," Mutt asked, once again not having a clue what he'd said, "what does it mean?"

"It means," Indy told him, "that Ox found the legendary city of Akator…which the Conquistadors called El Dorado."

Mutt's eyes widened. "You mean the city made of gold!?" he asked, excitedly.

Indy grinned. "Yep," he said. "Supposedly, if you buy into it that is, seven thousand years ago a group of Natives down in the Amazon somewhere was told by their gods to build a great city made entirely out of gold. They did so, using technology that was thousands of years before their times. Since then, many have tried looking for it. During the time of the Conquistadors, a man by the name of Francesco de Orellana—who was called the Gilded Man because of his lust for gold—went in search for it. He and six of his men disappeared at that time."

Mutt nodded, understanding. "But Mom said Ox had found a crystal skull," he said. "Where does that fit in?"

Indy nodded. "It was said that around the time Orellana disappeared, a crystal skull—which was believed to have special powers—was stolen from Akator," he explained. "The one who finds it and returns it to the lost city will gain control over its power…or so the legend goes."

"Wow," Mutt exclaimed. "No wonder the Reds want it."

Indy nodded. "Exactly," he said, "which is exactly why we can't let them get to it," he said.

"So," Mutt asked, "what do we do."

Indy stood up. "First," he said, going and putting his book back on the shelf, "I go change. Third, we head to Nazca, Peru."

"Peru?" Mutt asked, confused again. "Why there?"

"Because that's where the Nazca Lines are," he explained. "In the riddle it says to follow the 'lines in the Earth that only the gods can read." The Nazca lines are drawing etched into the ground to form what are called geoglyphs. On the ground that just look like a bunch of lines in the dirt, but from the air—which for a thousands of years until man learned to fly—only the "gods" could read them because only they live in the sky."

"You really know a lot about this stuff," Mutt told him, begrudgingly impressed.

Indy grinned. "I've being this since way before you were born, kid," he said, smirking. "Give me just a second, will ya?" He left the room, headed up stairs.

Mutt went out to wait for him by the door. At the sound of feet on the stairs, he turned to look and found himself staring at a completely different Dr. Jones.

Gone were the suit, bowties, and spectacles. In their place were a fedora, a leather jacket, and khaki shirt and pants. On his belt he wore a holstered pistol and a bullwhip. On his back, he slung an old looking satchel and he gave the kid a half-grin.

"I'm guessin' you've done this before," Mutt said, giving him a look. "You know, for an old guy, you ain't half bad."

Indy rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he said, "I think. Now, let's go."

As the headed out the door, Mutt stopped. "What the second thing we gotta do?" he asked, curious.

"Huh?" Indy asked him, confused for a moment.

"You said the first thing was you were gonna change," Mutt told him, "and the third thing we were gonna do was go to this Nazca, Peru. So, what's number two?"

Indy pointed to the bike they'd stolen. "We return that," he said, grinning.

Mutt looked horrifed. "You've got to be kiddin' me!" he exclaimed. "Why!?"

"Because," Indy told him, "it isn't ours."

Mutt glared. "It could be," he said. "I've always wanted a bike."

Indy shrugged. "Too bad," he said, going to he bike and straddling it. "This time, I drive." He started her up, and gave the kid a pointed look. "You coming, kid?"

Mutt sighed. "Fine," he said, going and hopping onto the back of the bike. "I still say we otta just keep it."

Indy shook his head. "Sorry," he said, speeding down the road. "Maybe after this is over, I'll buy you one."

Mutt rolled his eyes. "Don't do me any favors, old timer," he told him, sullenly.

"Besides, Mom won't let you. I already asked if I could get one and she said no."

Indy smirked. "I have my ways of getting around your mother," he told him. "I always did."

Mutt just glared. "I bet," he huffed.

Indy chuckled.

It was certainly going to be an interesting trip to Peru.

TBC…


	7. The Old Man

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 7: The Old Man

(A.N: This chapter is strictly for this story. It in no way appeared in the actual movie.)

The plane ride was boring. At least, Mutt found it so.

The old man sat stretched out on one side of the small cargo plane with his hat down over his eyes.

Mutt studied him, wondering again why he had sought him out.

_Sure, Mom always told me if something ever happened to her to come find him but I never actually thought I'd have to._

Okay, he admitted the old guy was pretty good at this adventure/archeology stuff. He'd give him that.

He just couldn't get past the fact that this man was his father.

_I can't believe I'm named after him. _

_Henry Jones III._

He'd hated being called that…of course it was usually when he was in trouble so that was understandable.

He much preferred Mutt, which he'd taken from this old junk yard dog he'd nursed back to health one summer after its leg had been broken when his bicycle had collided with the…well, _mutt._

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he went back to studying the old man.

What was it about him that had made his mom love him for over thirty years?

And she _did_ still love him; that much he knew. She'd had plenty of men wanting to marry her over the years, but she'd turned them all down flat.

It was as if she was waiting for the time he'd walk back into her life, just as he had done that time in Nepal.

Mutt hadn't really cared whether his mom married somebody or not. He had her and Ox to look after him, he hadn't needed anybody else. At least, that's what he had told himself anyway.

The old man stirred, his fedora shifting a little bit, but he remained asleep.

Mutt had to admit in the short time he'd known him he'd come to respect the old adventurer, and he _was_ helping him to rescue his mom and Ox.

_Should I tell him? Would he even believe me? What would I say?_

He'd been wrestling with those questions ever since he'd decided to track him down.

How exactly did you tell someone you were their son? And that your former girlfriend hadn't even bothered to let you know, despite having several chances over the years?

Mutt sighed. He'd leave things as they were.

He didn't need a father, after all.

He was just fine on his own.

Wasn't he?

"You okay, kid?" Indy's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, causing him to jump slightly. "You look like you've got something on your mind."

He looked over to see the old man looking at him curiously. "I'm good," he told him.

The old man nodded. "If you say so," he said, though there was a look in his eyes that said he thought otherwise. Shrugging, he pulled the fedora down over his eyes again and went back to sleep.

Sighing, Mutt stretched out and prepared to do the same.

_At least he doesn't snore…_

A snore erupted from under the fedora right at that moment.

…_figures!_

Rolling his eyes at the old man, the boy put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Underneath the fedora, Indy grinned. He continued to watch the kid as he slept.

_There's something about that kid…_

TBC…


	8. The Clue

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 8: The Clue

(A.N: Indy gives Mutt a spanking that is very sobering. **You've been warned**.)

After arriving in Nazca, Peru, Indy and Mutt spent the next several days going around in circles—more or less. They couldn't find anybody who knew anything about either Marion or Oxley. Mutt was becoming more and more frustrated, as was Indy.

After about the fourth day, the teen decided to let the old man do the looking while he stayed in the restaurant that was across the street of their dingy hotel. To his surprise, the bar tender actually offered him a beer. Knowing his mother would never approve and having the feeling neither would Indy, the kid couldn't resist trying at least a _little_ bit of the stuff.

Right?

While he found it bitter, it was otherwise good. It also had the added bonus of being cold, which given the hot days, made him crave it all that much more. After finishing off the first bottle, he called for a second…then a third…then a fourth…and he was just finishing his fifth when Indiana came in speaking to two highlanders.

By now, Mutt was more than buzzed…he was flat out drunk! He could still, however, just barely make out what was being said between the three; or maybe not, as he didn't recognize the language the two Andeans were speaking. It was similar to Spanish, but not enough so for him to recognize anything. Of course, at the moment, he could have cared less.

Indy bade the two men good-bye, thanking them for their, help and headed for Mutt's table. "Finally," he told the kid, "those two remembered seeing Oxley a little over two months ago and—"He stopped short, eying the five bottles on the table closely and taking in the kid's glazed over eyes.

"Did you drink all those!?" he asked the kid, angrily pointing to the bottles of beer…and cheap beer at that!

Mutt grinned, drunkenly. "Yep," he said, his words slurring slightly.

Indy shook his head. "Are you crazy kid or just plain stupid!?" he asked him, enraged. "Don't you know what drinking that much alcohol will do to ya?"

Mutt just kept grinning. "Make ya feel happy," he answered, several seconds after the fact.

Indy was not just angry at the moment; he was down right pissed off. Grabbing a hold of the kid's collar, he hauled him to his feet staggeringly. Glaring at the bar tender, who simply shrugged innocently, he put the kid's arm around his shoulder and half dragged/half carried him out of the restaurant and across the street to their hotel room.

No sooner had they crossed the threshold, but Mutt cried out, "Uh, I'm gonna be sick!"

When he started to heave, Indy rushed him over to the garbage pale just in time to watch he throw up everything he'd drunk and ate that morning at breakfast. The sight nearly made Indy, who had had his share of rough mornings after a night of drinking, nearly sick to his own stomach.

Finally, the boy had heaved all the contents of his stomach up and he was dry heaving into the basket. He tried to stand up, but found that his legs had gone all wobbly on him.

"Easy," Indy told him, helping him to stand more stably, "easy. Take it easy, kid. Go on into the bathroom and wash your face. Brush your teeth while you're at it." He gave him a little shove in the direction of the dimly light bathroom that was attached to their dimly lit room.

After the bathroom door was shut, Indy went and dumped the garbage pale outside and then came back in to sit on the bed to think. He couldn't believe the kid. He'd left him alone one time, and he takes the opportunity to get drunk! Marion would kill him if he let something happen to her son, and he'd let her!

_What would Dad have done?_

The question came almost unbidden into his mind, and he tried to search his vast memory for any similar incident involving himself and his father. He seemed to remember him and his cousin getting dead-assed drunk just before the incident with Poncho Villa happened. He also remembered his father's method for sobering him up. He winced, his backside almost aching at the very memory of the blistering he'd received for _that_ stunt.

He frowned. He couldn't do that with Mutt, could he? He wasn't the boy's father, after all.

He then remembered the five bottles of beer, and his anger resurfaced. The kid was SO going to get it when he came out of that bathroom!

The sound of the water being turned off alerted him to the fact the kid was done, and a few seconds later Mutt exited the bathroom…only to find himself grabbed by the back of the neck by one ticked off Indiana Jones.

"What the hell are ya doin', Jones!" the boy hollered, suddenly finding himself over the man's knees.

"That's Dr. Jones to you," Indy told him, sternly, "and you're about to learn that drinking at your age has other consequences besides heaving your guts out. It also gets you a blistered backside!" He then promptly brought his hand down on the boy's jean clad rear end; hard.

Mutt was beyond shocked, and definitely now completely sober. He was turned across the knee of a man he'd met only a handful of days ago getting his backside blistered!

"Ow!" he hollered, indignant and angry at the same time. "Let me up, old man—OW!"

"That's another thing," Indy told him, spanking him even harder. "You've called me everything from old man to old timer, and quite frankly I don't appreciate it. You've been down right rude to me at times, kid, and that's gonna stop. Now!"

"All right," Mutt cried out, feeling tears start to sting his eyes, "all right. I read you loud and clear, Doc!"

"Kid," Indy told him, smirking, "you're lucky I'm a soft touch." He brought his down one more time.

_**SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!**_

Those five swats were delivered with such force that they made Mutt's teeth rattle and brought him up off the man's knees as if his butt was on fire. He reached back to rub it and wipe the tears from his eyes at the same time. He glared at Indy, who merely glared back.

"Those five were for the five bottles you drank," Indy told him, smirking. "We understand each other now?" He raised an eyebrow at the kid.

"Yeah," Mutt muttered, sourly. "Uh, I mean… yes sir."

Indy nodded, standing up. "Good," he said, "let's go." He headed for the door.

Mutt followed after him in puzzlement. "Where we goin'?" he asked, confused.

"I told you," Indy told him, then remembered the state the kid had been at the time and sighed. "Those two highlanders I was talking to said they saw Oxley about two months ago, he came into town raving like a lunatic."

"So," Mutt asked, "what they'd to with him."

Indy shrugged. "What do people usually do with a crazy person?" he asked, then answered his own question. "They locked him up in the local asylum."

Mutt snorted at that, reaching back to rub his aching rear end. "Figures there'd be a loony bin in this town," he muttered, continuing to follow the older adventurer.

"Hey," he asked, remembering something a few moments later, "what was that language those two were speaking? It sure didn't sound like Spanish?"

Indy was actually surprised the boy was even able to remember that there had been two men with him, let alone be able to tell they weren't speaking anything he understood. _ Must be the watered down beer, _he thought to himself.

"That was Quechua," he explained to the kid. "It's used to be the trader's tongue of the Inca Empire and has since become the primary language of the mountain people."

"So," Mutt asked, "you learned to speak it here in Peru?"

Indy grinned. "Not quite," he said, "I learned to speak it in Mexico."

"It's spoken that far north?" Mutt asked, able to think now that his brain was "beer" logged.

Indy shook his head. "No," he said, "I learned it from a Peruvian who was with Pancho Villa's army. I was sorta in it for a little while."

"_The_ Pancho Villa?" Mutt asked, amazed. "You're kidding me, right? How old were ya?"

Indy grinned. "I was just a little bit older than you," he told him, "and I guess you could say I was kidnapped into it."

"I bet your folks had a cow," Mutt said, smirking.

Indy winced. "Let's just say things weren't exactly 'friendly' at home at that time," he said, "and let's leave it at that."

Mutt nodded, understanding. "I know whatcha mean," he said. "Mom and I were fighting a lot just before she came down here."

Indy grinned. _With that mouth of yours, kid, and knowing Marion's temper I'm not surprised._

"Why was that?" he asked him, curious.

Mutt shrugged. "She just got mad 'cuz told her I wanted to drop outta school," he said.

Indy stopped in his tracks, and glared at the kid. "Why would you want to do a fool thing like that?" he asked him.

Mutt glared at him. "Because it's a stupid prep school," he defended himself. "All they teach you is chess, debate, and fencing. Now, I handle a blade like nothing you've ever seen but I still think it's a worthless talent. It ain't like I'm ever gonna use it in the real world. 'Side, it doesn't matter anymore anyway."

"Oh?" Indy inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Mutt blushed slightly. "Yeah," he said, hesitantly, "they sorta kicked me out."

"What for?" Indy asked him, even more curious now.

The kid glared at him. "None of your business," he growled, then added, "Sir." He might be miffed at the man's probing questions, but he certainly didn't want to make him mad again.

Indy started to say something but changed his mind. He'd already jumped on the kid's case once today, he didn't want to do it again. He wasn't his father, after all.

For a moment neither spoke, but then Indy gestured with his head, "Come on, the asylum's just over there." He headed for a faded white building that looked like it had once been an old fort or something.

Mutt didn't know what to say, so he just followed behind the adventurer quietly.

After ringing the asylum's bell, the two were met by an elderly nun who answered it. She and Indy conversed for several moments in Spanish, most of which Mutt understood but didn't quite catch all of it.

"She said," Indy told him, as they followed the nun deeper into the asylum, "that Oxley was here but that armed men came and took him away. No doubt, our Russian friends."

Mutt nodded, understanding. "What else did she say?" He asked. "I couldn't quite keep up."

"She said that Oxley was raving," he told him, "that he kept repeating the same thing over and over again. He even carved it into the walls of his cell." The nun stopped at a particular door and opened it for them. They entered to find not only words carved into the walls, but also images of an elongated skull.

"Return," Mutt said, recognizing the word written in English and Spanish.

"They all say that," Indy told him. "In French, German, Dutch…all the words in this room mean the same thing: Return."

"Return where?" Mutt asked, scratching his head.

"Return what, you mean," Indy said, pointing to the skull. "Remember the skull Ox was supposed to have found…well, I'm betting he meant it was supposed to be returned to Akatar."

Mutt nodded. "That still doesn't tell us where the skull is," he reminded him. He was a little freaked out by the fact that the man he'd looked up to all these years had apparently flipped his lid. He didn't deal with emotion well…a family trait apparently…and so when he felt tears well in his eyes he quickly brushed them away before Indy could see them.

Indy studied the walls, and then glanced down at the floor. His eyes narrowing, he then grabbed the broom and tossed it to the kid. "Sweep," he ordered, pointing to the floor. He then proceeded to climb up onto the stone bed that was carved into the wall of the cell to get a better look.

Confused, but still not wanting to annoy the man, Mutt began to sweep. He was beginning to think the old man had flipped his lid right along with the Ox. "What is it?" he asked, once he'd swept the entire center of the floor clear.

Indy pointed. "The riddle," he said, "that Ox sent use wasn't talking about the Nazca lines, precisely. _These _were the lines he really meant us to read."

Trying to see what the lines formed, but failing, Mutt asked next, "What does it show?"

"A graveyard," Indy told him, "and I'm guessing that it refers to Francesco de Orellana's grave! Ox must have found it, and that is where he hid the skull!" He hopped down to the bed, grinning broadly.

"So," Mutt said, "we go there next."

Indy nodded, smiling. "You said it, kid," he said, slapping him on the back. "I just hope you aren't afraid of the living dead?"

Mutt looked worried as he followed the man out of the cell and back towards the exit of the asylum. "Why?" he asked, cautiously.

Indy grinned back over his shoulder.

"Because that's who Ox said guarded Orellana's cradle—or grave."

Mutt gulped.

"The living dead."

TBC…


	9. The Living Dead

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 9: The Living Dead

That night found Indy and Mutt outside of an ancient cemetery. It didn't help that it looked like it was about to rain, or that thunder and lightning could be seen and heard in the distance.

"That sign," Mutt said, pointing to a sign on the cemetery's gate, "says that grave robbers will be shot."

Indy smirked. "I guess it's a good thing we aren't grave robbers, then," he told him, handing him a shovel. He then proceeded on into the graveyard.

Mutt followed, his stomach feeling even queasier than it did this morning after he'd drank all that beer. It became more so when he noticed that many of the so called graves were nothing more than shrouded skeletons lying upon stone altars.

"Why aren't they buried?" he asked Indy, gulping. He was trying to be brave, he really was.

Indy knew the kid was nervous, so he put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "The ancient Andean tribes were sun and sky worshippers," he explained. "Their belief was that the closer you were to the gods—even in death—the more likely your chances of getting into heaven…or whatever the hell they believed in." He shrugged, and then turned to head further into the graveyard.

Mutt followed an uneasy feeling in his gut. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he could swear it felt like they were being watched. "I-I think I saw something moving," he told Indy, hesitantly.

Indy sighed. "Kid," he said, turning to him, "you're just seeing shadows. There's nothing but dried bones here." He turned and nearly had a heart attack when suddenly a very much alive masked warrior, garbed in the ancient way of just a loin cloth and carrying a dart gun leapt out at him.

He reacted quickly, falling back and using his feet to send the man flying. He got back to his feet.

Mutt glared at him. "That didn't look like shadows or dry bones to me, professor," he muttered, sourly.

Indy glared, but then yelled out, "Duck, kid!" He pointed to where a second warrior sprang up, preparing to shoot Mutt in the back with a dart.

Mutt obeyed, the dart flying over him and embedding itself in a withered tree. The warrior growled and then disappeared once more into the shadows. Wanting the assurance of a weapon, he pulled out his switchblade and released the blade on it.

Indy stood stalk still, his senses on alert for danger. Sweat was poring off him, and his breathing was tougher. He was definitely getting too old for this. He felt movement to his right and his bullwhip lashed out to catch the warrior that was about to attack him around the neck. A quick yank snapped the guy's neck and another flick of his wrist brought the whip back to him.

Seeing his comrade fall, the other warrior disappeared back into the shadows…for good this time, they hoped.

Mutt had watched this in awe. "You're a _schoolteacher!_" he exclaimed, indignantly.

Indy smirked. "Most of the time," he said, shrugging. "Yeah, I am." He hostled his revolver again, and coiled his whip to put it back on his belt. He then picked his shovel back up and went over to make sure the kid was all right.

"Put that thing away before you put your eye out," he told him, gesturing to his switchblade, "and here you dropped this." He bent down and handed the kid his shovel back.

Mutt rolled his eyes, but did as the man said. He then followed him deeper into the graveyard and then down below into the crypts. This only spooked him more, as there were a lot of skeletons and mummies lying, leaning, and even standing around.

"Geez," he muttered, "this place could give Dracula's castle a run for its money."

Indy chuckled. "It ain't so bad, kid," he told him, "once you get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it," Mutt told him. "I just want to find that stupid skull and then my mom and Ox."

"Me too," Indy told him, "me too." They came to a point where the walls of the ruins around them seemed to come from two different eras. Placing his hand along with the wall, the archeologist began searching for the hidden door that would take them down into what he was sure to be the grave of the Gilded Man.

"What'cha doin'?" Mutt asked, curious.

"Help me look," Indy told him. "There should be a way that goes further down."

Thinking the old man was crazy, but giving a 'what the heck' shrug, the teen began searching the other wall. Unfortunately, the only thing he found was a bunch of scorpions. One of which managed to sting him!

"Ahh!" he hollered, shaking the giant insect off. "I've been stung! I'm gonna die!" He would have screamed more, had Indy's large hand not covered his mouth preventing him from doing so.

"Relax," Indy ordered the kid, "there just scorpions." He removed his hand from the boy's mouth.

Mutt glared. "That's easy for you to say," he told him. "You didn't just get stung by a humongous scorpion! I'm gonna die!"

"No you're not," Indy told him, rolling his eyes at the overdramatic expression. "With scorpions, kid, the bigger they are the better. If a small one stings you, _then_ you really should be worried. Now, come on. I found he way down." He tugged the kid along, leading him down through the secret way he'd found just moments before.

Upon entering this new crypt, they found two sets of foot prints. "One set is probably Oxley's," Indy said.

Mutt looked for himself. "They both could," he said, smugly. "They're the same size and were made by the same shoes. One going in and the other is coming out."

Indy gave him an approving smirk. "Good eye, kid," he said, reaching out to ruffle the kid's hair.

Mutt glared, and instantly took out his comb to redo his pompadour. "Thanks," he said, "I think." He wasn't about to admit how much the man's complementing words meant to him.

"Look at this," Indy told him, stepping down all the way into the crypt. He started counting the shroud covered bodies. One…Two…Three…Four…Five…Six… "Seven," he exclaimed, smiling broadly, "there are seven in all…which means Orellana and his men made it out of the Amazon!"

"But what happened then?" Mutt wondering, remembering Indy telling him that no one knew exactly what had happened to the conquistador and his men.

Indy shrugged. "Greed could have gotten the best of them, I guess," he said, "or they had a run in with a few other tribes. Either way, the locals found them, wrapped them up, and put them here." He walked over to one of the shrouds and examined it.

"Let me have your knife," he said, holding out his hand for the switchblade.

Hesitantly, Mutt handed it over. "Don't knick the blade," he told the man.

Indy rolled his eyes. "Don't worry," he said, using the knife to cut into the shroud. "Here." He handed the knife back to the boy. He tore open the shroud to reveal a well preserved man wearing armor.

Mutt was amazed. "He looks like he just died," he commented, awed.

Indy grinned. "It was the way they wrapped him up," he explained.

The man's face suddenly withered and decayed right before their eyes.

"What just happened?" Mutt asked, spooked again.

Indy shrugged. "Air didn't agree with 'im," he said, simply.

Mutt nodded, glancing over at another of the shrouds. "Hey," he said, "that's one been opened already." He pointed to the shroud that had already been cut.

Indy looked and then moved over to it. Pulling the shroud apart, he revealed a gold ceremonial mask. "The Gilded Man," he said, smirking. "It's Francesco de Orellana himself, but there's something strange…"

"What?" Mutt asked, curious.

"The ancient people that buried them wouldn't have covered his face," he said, "knowing that the Spaniards buried their dead differently. I thinkin' maybe Ox did this." He then reached into the shroud and grinned. He pulled his hand out, bringing with him a perfectly carved, if oddly shaped, elongated skull made out of solid crystal.

"Wow!" Mutt muttered, gazing at the thing. "That must be the Crystal Skull!"

Indy glanced at him, giving him a look. "Ya think?" he asked, rolling his eyes. He studied the skull closer.

"There doesn't appear to be any signs of tool marks, not even along the grain," he muttered, more to himself than to the boy.

"What's that mean?" Mutt asked his eyes wide in the darkness.

Indy shook his head. "I'm not sure," he said, 'but I do know we can't let the Russians get a hold of this."

"What about Mom and Ox?" Mutt asked. "They're gonna kill 'em!"

Indy looked at him. "We're going after them next," he told him, "but we're gonna take this with us. After we rescue Marion and Harold, we're all gonna take a little trip to the lost city of Akator."

Mutt nodded, and followed Indy back up the graveyard above. The sun was just beginning to rise as they came above ground. They had a welcoming party waiting for them.

"Hello, mate," Mac told Indy, grinning from ear to ear. He was surrounded by several Russian soldiers, including Colonel Dovchenko—who smiled wickedly at the sight of Indy.

"Uh oh," Indy muttered, just as the large Red's fist collided with his face.

_Here we go again._

The last thing he saw was the skull's empty eye sockets seeming to almost glow from within at him.

Then he saw nothing at all.

TBC…


	10. The Reunion

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 10: The Reunion

Indy came awake inside a tent. He found himself sitting, retrained by bolts across his arms, in a metal chair that _really_ wasn't comfortable. Around him was a bunch of equipment and to his right was a shrouded covered body of some kind. The tent flap was open so he could see a bond fire and a group of Russian soldiers drinking it up and dancing drunkenly around it.

One of them was Mac, who came dancing into the tent to greet his former friend.

"Hey there, ole boy," the former British spy beamed at him, dangling a bottle of what appeared to be Vodka in Indy's face. "Want some?"

Indy glared. "I hate Vodka," he growled at him. He was still royally (no pun inteneded) pissed off at the traitor.

"Come on, Indy," Mac told him, smiling drunkenly, "it's just like the good ole days, eh mate?"

"Yeah," Indy agreed, bearing his teeth, "a little too much like the good ole days…including back stabbers."

"Humph," Mac grumbled, "ya save a blokes life and what does it get'cha?" He raised his hands in exasperation.

Indy smirked. "Untie my hands," he growled, "and I'll show how I say thinks. I promise ya, _pal_, when I get free I'm gonna break that already large nose of yours!"

Mac rolled his eyes. "Indy," he leaned forward a little bit more, "come on now, it's just like when we were in Berlin together. Remember Berlin, mate?" He would have said more, except a throat clearing interrupted him.

Moving aside, he revealed Irina Spalko and Colonel Dovchenko. "We meet again, Dr. Jones," the dark haired lady greeted the older adventurer with a feral smile, "it is fortunate that you remain to be of use to us, yes?"

Indy glared. "Ya've got the skull," he told her, "why don't ya just let me, Marion, and the kid go? Huh?"

"What about Dr. Oxley, Dr. Jones?" Spalko asked him, grinning. It wasn't one of amusement.

Indy looked at her in surprise. "Harold's here?" he asked, surprise. Why would they have kept him around after he refused to give up the location of the skull or tell them how to find Akator.

"In a manner of speaking," Spalko told him, and then turned to issue and order to Dovchenko. The large Red left the tent and came back a moment later with one of the men who had been dancing around the fire.

Indy was shocked to see Harold Oxley's appearance. The man had always been a very fastidious dresser, even when he was out in the field, and kept his appearance neat and very academic at all times. At the moment, he resembled Ben Gunn from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.

His graying brown hair was shoulder length and stringy, his normally well groomed beard and mustache were long and disheveled, and he wore a poncho over baggy pants worn by the mountain people of the region. There was also absolutely no recognition of any kind on his face at the sight of Indy…or anything remotely resembling anything at all, for that matter. It was as if he were a zombie.

"Harold!" Indy called to him. "Harold, it's me. It's Indy. You know, Henry Jones…uh…Jr.! We studied together at the University of Chicago under Abner Ravenwood! You were born in Leeds, England and you were _never_ this interesting! In fact, you could put just about anybody to sleep when you got going on a topic! Harold, please!" Still, there was nothing even remotely like thought or feeling on the man's face.

Dovchenko came over and led him out of the tent and back to the fire after that.

Indy turned his head back to Spalko and growled, "What did you bastards do to him!?"

Spalko shrugged. "Not us, Dr. Jones," she said, moving over and revealing the crystal skull he and Mutt had found at the graveyard in Nazca, Peru.

"It was this, Dr. Jones. Dr. Oxley stared into the eyes of the skull too long, trying to learn its secrets, and went quite mad." She gave an order and a couple of her men rolled a mounted machine gun into the tent.

"Hey, sister," Indy said, nervously, "if ya want to get rid of me, that's fine, but I don't think it'll take _that! _Even I'm not _that_ tough!"

Again, the feral smile appeared on the woman's face. She gestured and the two men removed the machine gun; which she promptly replaced with the skull. "You see, Dr. Jones," she told him, "Dr. Oxley knows the way to Akator, but I need someone to be able to understand his gibberish. As I said, he looked into the skull's eyes too long. I want _you_ to look until you're just mad enough to understand him."

Indy gave her a half-smile devoid of human. "Here's a thought, sister," he said, "_You_ look into it."

A frown appeared on Spalko's face. "I have tried," she told him, seeming almost disappointed, "as have other in my company. It seems the skull only speak to a select few…which is why I believe it will speak to you as it did Dr. Oxley. Now, look." She positioned the skull so that its eyes were even with Indy's own.

Indy tried to resist, tried to shut his eyes, but found that he couldn't. Something…_something_…seemed to call to him from those empty eye sockets that seemed to glow from within. In moments, he was entranced only able to repeat the same thing over and over again: Return.

Outside, Harold Oxley had stopped dancing wildly and stared into flames as if seeing something. "Return," he said, at exactly the same time as Indy within the tent, and a look of recognition came to his face. "Henry!"

Inside the tent, Spalko smiled widely. "Hurry," she said to her men, "we must bring Jones and Oxley together!" She gestured for Mac and Dovchenko to release the archeologist.

They did so, and when his hands were free from the restraints his fist came up and popped Mac right in the nose. "Ahh!" the Englishman cried out. "Ya broke my bloody nose!"

Indy shrugged. "Can't say I didn't warn ya, Mac," he said, smirking.

"Enough of this," Spalko said, irritated, "bring him!" She turned and headed out of the tent. Once outside, she turned to him again, "You will now talk to Dr. Oxley and get him to tell you the location of Akator!"

Indy sneered. "Go to hell," he said, half-grinning, "cuz I ain't about to tell you a damn thing."

Spalko eyes flashed fire, but then she smiled wickedly. "Very well," she said, and then turned to her men. Two disappeared and a few moments later brought a struggling Mutt into the clearing.

"You alright, kid?" Indy asked him, concerned.

Mutt smirked. "Better than you, old timer," he told him, "by the looks of it."

Indy grinned at that. _Kids got guts, I like that._

Spalko's rapier was removed from its sheathed and pressed against the boy's throat.

"Whoa," Mutt said, holding up his hands, "hold it just a second!" He reached into his pocket, grabbed his comb, and then fixed his pompadour.

"Okay," he told the Russian woman, "go ahead. Don't give these Ruskies a damn thing, Professor."

Indy nodded, smirking at Spalko. "Ya see," he said, shrugging, "I'm not supposed to give you a damn thing."

Spalko snarled, looking at Mutt. "Brash young fool," she told him, but again the wicked smile was on her face. "It seems I chose the wrong pressure point, Dr. Jones, perhaps this one will be better." She gave another order and two more of her men disappeared into a tent.

They returned a moment later with a kicking, cursing, and very much pissed of Marion Ravenwood!

Indy felt his heart leap at the sight of the woman, whom he had not seen in fifteen years. Though, like him, she had begun to show the signs of aging she was still the same lithe, dark haired spit fire he remembering first falling in love with back in 1926.

"Marion! Mom!" Indy and Mutt called to her at the same time.

Ceasing her struggling, the guards let her go and she focused on them. "Well," she said, eyeing Indy up and down, "it's about time you showed up!" She then hurried to Mutt and pulled him into a tight hug. The boy hugged her back, relieved that his mother was all right.

Indy grinned at the sight. 'I took good care of him, Marion," he told her.

Marion released her son and turned to focus fully on him. There was a dangerous glint to her eye that he recognized instantly.

"Indiana Jones," she said, shaking her head.

Her right fist came up then and connected squarely with the older adventurer's jaw.

Indy's head popped back into place and then he worked his jaw, grinning. Before Marion could react, he pulled her to him in a breath-taking kiss that nearly made both their knees go weak. It lasted for several seconds before the woman came to her senses and shoved him away. For a brief second, her eyes held tenderness within them but it was quickly replaced with annoyance.

"If you think for one moment _that _little peck is gonna make up for the last fifteen years, Jones," she told him, "then you're bark up the wrong tree, buster!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

Indy smiled, then shrugged. "A punch to the jaw," he said, "and a peck on the lips. It's just like ole times!"

Marion rolled her eyes, then looked around at the all the Russians surrounding them with automatic weapons. "A little too much like the ole days, Indy," she told him. "We're getting too old for this."

He nodded. "I know," he said, grinning, "but at least it'll be fun."

Marion rolled her eyes. "Only you, Jones," she said, "would find this—" There conversation was cut in two, almost literally, but the fact that Spalko's rapier suddenly appeared next to her throat.

Indy glared at the Russian woman. "We were trying to have a reunion here, lady," he said, annoyed.

"So sorry," Spalko said, savagely, "but unless you speak to Dr. Oxley immediately, Dr. Jones, Ms. Ravenwood is going to be a great deal shorter."

Dovchenko came up behind Mutt and grabbed the boy. A gun was pressed to the side of his head. "The boy," he said, smiling cruely, "will be lacking a few less brains. Yeah?"

Rage boiled through Indy, but he knew he had to do as they asked. "All right, all right," he said, "simmer down now. Where's Harold?" Oxley was brought over and Indy sat down in front of him.

At first, he attempts at communication failed him. Oxley kept repeating a line from poem about Milton and kept calling him Henry Jones, Jr. over and over again. He then noticed that the man's hand was moving, as if he were writing something. He called for a pen and pad, and discovered that the man was actually answering his questions in the form of ancient symbols.

"Auto writing," Spalko breathed, practically down Indy's neck making him shudder, "I should have guessed!"

Indy began to translate the symbols. "The water sleeps…until the Great Snake…wait!" he said suddenly. "These are directions. Get me a map!" So, a map was brought and Indy and the Russians leaned over it.

"The Great Snake is the Amazon, of course," Indy said, "and water would refer to a river, but what river sleeps."

Spalko pointed to one. "The Sono River," she exclaimed. "It is Porteguese for 'sleep'."

Indy nodded in agreement. They continued to stare at the map, looking for the other clues the crazed man had drawn.

Mutt and Marion had been released and had watched all this. Despite his mother's warning look, the boy crept slowly to the side of the table Indy was standing and placed his hands underneath it. He waited until both Spalko and Dovchenko were almost nose to nose with the map. He then heaved, upturning the table onto the two Russians.

"Run!" He yelled, grabbing Marion's hand and heading into the jungle.

Indy didn't hesitate, he grabbed Oxley's hand and ran like hell.

_I sure hope you know what you're doin', kid._

The four of them continued to race into the jungle amid a hail of gun fire and chaos.

TBC…


	11. The Sand Pit

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 11: The Sand Trap

"Hold up, kid," Indy called a halt to the running a good distance away from the Russian's camp.

Mutt came to a halt, as did Marion and Oxley.

Marion smiled at the winded expression on Indy's face. "Not getting tired are you, Jones?" she asked, teasing.

Indy smirked. "If you hadn't noticed, sweetheart," he said, catching his breath, "I ain't as young as I used to be."

Marion grinned. She _had_ noticed, but he was still just as handsome as he was the first time she had ever laid eyes on him.

"Not that I'm complaining," Indy said, looking at Mutt, "but I think we're headed in the wrong direction. Maybe you didn't a good enough look at the map, but the Sono River is that way!" He pointed in an easterly direction.

Mutt scowled. "Well somebody had to do something," he said, crossly. "_You_ sure weren't!"

"Mutt!" Marion exclaimed, sternly.

Indy also leveled the kid with a disapproving scowl of his own, which the kid of course pointedly ignored.

"I know, Mom," Mutt told her, sighing, "I didn't want to die anymore than you or he did."

Indy and Marion just shook their heads, but then felt the ground beneath both their feet go all spongy. Suddenly, they both were looking _up_ at the teenager instead of down at him. Either the kid had just had a major growth spurt, or…

"Quicksand!" Mutt exclaimed, watching in horror as they both sank to their knees.

Indy took a look at the stuff they were in, and quickly shook his head. "Nope," he told the kid, "dry sand pit. Quicksand is something completely different and really isn't as dangerous as most people think—"

"For heaven sakes, Henry!" Marion exclaimed, in frustration and worry. "We're not in one of your lecture halls!"

Indy looked at her in surprise. "Did you just call me Henry?" he asked, stunned.

Marion rolled her eyes. "Oh," she exclaimed, "just shut up!"

"Hang on," Mutt told them, trying desperately to push his panic down and take control of the situation, "I'll go find something to pull you out with!" He then ran off into the jungle.

Indy glared at Oxley, who simply stared blankly at them. "Harold," he said, "I don't mean to sound rude but do you suppose you could maybe get your ass in gear and get us some help here!" He really hadn't meant to shout, but as he and Marion had now shank to their armpits he was starting to get worried.

"Help," the zombie like man repeated.

"Yes," Indy said, through gritted teeth, "GO…GET…HELP!"

"Help," Oxley repeated again, and then disappeared into the jungle.

Indy sighed, and the looked at Marion. "Just don't try to move," he warned her, "it'll make you sink faster."

She nodded, gazing at him tenderly. She almost laughed, with the moon shining down on them and the cool night air blowing gently, this would have almost seemed romantic if they weren't up to their necks in sand pit. She had known, and loved, this man for nearly thirty years; and she still regretted the secret she had kept from him (out of anger and bitterness, she supposed) for the last fifteen years.

"Indy," she said, quietly, "There's something I need to tell you."

"Uh," Indy said, hesitantly, "I don't think now's really the best time."

"This might be the only time," Marion told him, stubbornly. "It's about Mutt."

Indy nodded. "He's a good kid, Marion," he told her. "He'll be back with help any minute."

Marion nodded, not doubting that. "His name is Henry," she told him, quietly.

Indy froze and then scowled at her. "How could you go and give him a name like that!" he exclaimed. He had always hated his name; he certainly didn't want anyone else tacked with it.

"Because," she told him, meeting his gaze squarely, "he's your son, Indy."

Indy felt like she had punched him in the gut, instead of the jaw. "M-My son?" he asked, too stunned to say anything else.

Marion nodded, though with the sand around them it was difficult to do. "Yes," she said. "Henry Jones the third."

Indy continued to just stare at him. He knew, on the logical side of his brain that he should be shouting at her asking why she hadn't told him but the only thing he could think of at that moment was the conversation he and Mutt had had about the boy being kicked out of school.

"Where the hell is that kid!" he exclaimed, angrily. "I'm gonna tan his hide!"

Marion blinked at the unexpected reaction. Before she could reply to it, however, Mutt came running out of the jungle and tossed something at them.

"Grab on," he told them, "and I'll pull you out."

Not really able to see whatever it was clearly, Marion wrapped her hands around it. It was long, cold, and…scaly! She wasn't at all surprised when Indy screamed.

"It's a SNAKE!" he shouted. "And it's hissing!"

"Just grab it," Mutt told him.

"Go find something else," Indy ordered him. "A vine, a rope, anything!"

"Hey, man," the boy said, indignant, "there ain't anything else. Just grab it, will ya!"

"Just do what he says, Indy," Marion told him, becoming annoyed.

Indy was already annoyed. "Do what _he_ says!" he yelled at her. "He's supposed to do what _we_ say!"

"Just grab the damn SNAKE!" both Marion and Mutt shouted at him at the same time.

Closing his eyes, and trying desperately to ignore the hissing, Indy wrapped his hands around the slippery body. He shuddered.

Mutt pulled with all his might on the snake, attempting to free them. All at once, they sprang out of the sand pit and landed on top of him. The snake scurried back into the jungle without even a second glance at them.

All three lay on the ground, side by side, panting. Mutt looked at Indy and then at his mother. "What's the deal with the snake?" he asked her, gesturing toward the older adventurer. "I was beginning to think he wasn't afraid of nothin'."

Marion smiled. "Childhood trauma," she explained. "He fell into a tank of snakes when he was just a couple of years younger than you. It happened on a circus…" She paused, trying to remember where he was at when it happened.

"Train," Indy spoke up. "It was a circus train."

"So sorry I didn't keep better notes, Professor," Marion told him, grinning. He grinned back.

Mutt rolled his eyes. "Scared of snakes," he muttered, shaking his head, "you are one crazy old guy."

Indy raised an eyebrow at that. "Thanks a lot, son," he exclaimed, scowling at him.

Just then the sound of booted feet arrived and they found themselves surrounded once more by Irina Spalko, Mac, Colonel Dovchenko, and the rest of the Russians. Harold Oxley smiled down at all three of them.

"I got help," he said, proudly.

Marion, Mutt, and Indy all three closed their eyes and laid their heads back down on the ground in exasperation.

"Thanks a lot, Ox."

TBC…


	12. The Fight

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 12: The Fight

Spalko and the Russians wasted no time in heading for the Sono River. In a caravan of army vehicles, they plowed their way through the Amazon jungle leaving a trail of wreckage in their wake.

In the last trunk in the caravan, Indy, Marion, and Mutt had been stowed and were watched over by Colonel Dovchenko.

Their wrists tied, Indy and Marion sat across from each other while Mutt sat against the front against the cab of the truck. Dovchenko sat opposite him at he end of the truck, watching all three of them closely.

Indy and Marion seemed able to do nothing but glare at each other, while Mutt glared at the Russian.

Silence reigned, but only temporarily.

"You should have told me, Marion," Indy grumbled at her, sourly. "I had a right to know!"

"You left, remember?" Marion threw back at him, angrily.

"I wrote!" Indy told her.

Marion snorted. "Yeah, a year later," she said, rolling her eyes. "By then Mutt was born and I had moved on with my life."

Indy grimaced. "I'm sorry I didn't write sooner," he said, "but I had go rescue my dad from the Nazi and then we had to go find the Holy Grail!"

Marion nodded. "Figures," she said. "It's always just one more adventure for you, isn't it Jones?"

Indy growled. "That's why I left in the first place!" he yelled at her. "Becaue I knew it wasn't right for you to be married to someone who's gone all the time!"

"Maybe I wanted to go with you," she threw back at him, "did you ever think of that!"

"It wouldn't have been fair to drag you all over the world," Indy told her.

Dovchenko was looking more and more annoyed. "Would you both—" he started to order.

"Stay out of this," both Indy and Marion shouted at him.

"It wasn't like I wound't be used to it," Marion told him. "Abner dragged me along often enough, remember?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, "and I knew you hated it! Plus, what about when we had a kid?" He nodded at Mutt. "Would it have been fair to drag him all over creation the way our fathers did us?"

"Would you two just knock it off already!" Mutt told them, annoyed at both his parents at the moment, even more so than Dovchenko was. He didn't like the fact that his mom had spilled the beans about him to the old man, who was already on his bad list as it was.

"He's right," Indy said, grinning. "He shouldn't have to hear Mom and Dad fight."

"You're not my dad!" Mutt growled at him, angrily.

Indy glared at him. "You better believe I am," he told him, "and I've got some news for you: you _are_ going back to school!"

Mutt looked horrified at this, but before he could say anything in reply his mother beat him to it.

"Well," Marion told him, "of course he's going back to school, Indy! Why wouldn't he?"

Mutt bit his lip, while Indy gave him a rather pointed look. "You want to tell her?" he asked him. "Or should I?"

Marion looked back and forth between them, confused.

Mutt sighed, glad his mom's hands were tied at the moment. "Uh, about school, Mom," he told her, "I kinda got kicked out." He winced, waiting for the explosion.

Marion stared at him dumbfounded for a moment, but she found her voice quickly enough.

"WHAT!"

Both Indy and Mutt winced at the shout, both regretting telling her now.

"That is it," Dovchenko exclaimed, pulling a rag from his pocket. "I will shut you up myself, woman!" He moved towards Marion to gag her.

Marion was beyond annoyed at this point, she was majorly pissed off. Without really thinking about it, she kicked out with both her legs catching the big Russian in the gut. He toppled over towards Indy.

The adventurer didn't hesitate; he swung his legs and caught the man in the back of his head with his feet, sending him forward within reach of Mutt's booted feet.

The kid kicked out with both feet, catching the colonel right in his ugly face, and sending backwards unconscious.

Indy grinned, proudly.

"Now that's what I call a family effort," he said, smirking. "You still got that knife on ya, son?"

Mutt scowled. "Don't call me that," he said, even as he lifted his boots so that his switchblade fell out. Scooping it up with his feet, he gently tossed it where it landed on Indy's shoulder.

Indy shrugged, knocking the knife behind him and into his tied hands. He released the blade and cut himself free. He then went and did the same for Marion.

"I'm sure you've had your share of women over the years," she told him, quietly.

He nodded. "A few," he told her, "but they all had the same problem. They weren't you, honey." He kissed her then, making both their hearts race.

"Uh," Mutt spoke up, nearly gagging at seeing his parents making out in front of him, "but I'm still tied up here!"

Indy grinned at Marion. "Kids," he said, shaking his head. "Always interrupting just when thing are starting to get good." She chuckled at that, as he moved to free their son.

"Here," Indy told Mutt, handing him back the switchblade, "and this discussion ain't over, kid. We'll get back to it later." He then punctured the canvas in the truck and climbed out onto the roof.

Mutt looked at Marion. "What's he gonna do now?" he asked her, curious.

Marion smiled and shrugged. "He makes things up as he goes along," she told him, chuckling.

Mutt rolled his eyes. "Swell," he muttered.

_Leave it to me to get a dad who improvises!_

Suddenly the truck lurched, throwing both to their feet.

"I think you just got your answer," Marion told him, grinning.

Mutt just looked at her as if she was crazy.

_My parents are both nuts!_

_Lucky me._

TBC…


	13. The Duel

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 13: The Duel

Indy had managed to dislodge the driver of the truck by swinging down into the cab through the driver's side window and knocking him out the other side with his feet. He took the wheel and got the trunk going again. He then opened the small window that went to rear of the tuck.

"Come on up," he called to Marion and Mutt.

The two of them crawled through the window to join him in the front of the truck. "Not bad, Jones," Marion told him, grinning. "Especially at your age."

Indy smirked. "Thanks, honey," he said, "but right now we need to get Oxley, get that skull, and then get to Akator before these Reds!"

"You make it sound easy, Daddy-O," Mutt told him, rolling his eyes. "We just have to get past a couple hundred armed Ruskies first!"

Indy grinned. "Leave that to me," he said, smirking. "Marion, take the wheel!" He then crawled back into the rear of the truck.

Mutt sighed. "Now what's he doing?" he asked his mother.

Marion just shook her head. "I don't really think he plans that far ahead," she said, grinning. With all this excitement, she felt like she was twenty-eight again rather than forty-three!

A moment later, the end of a missle launcher found its way between them, startling them.

At least it did, until they saw that it was Indy who was holding its other end. He smirked at Mutt.

"I can blow a tune on this they won't soon forget," he said, "but you still might want to cover your ears, son."

Mutt glared. "I told you not to—" he never got the chance to finishe, as his father pulled the trigger and sent the missile careening through the caravan blowing up trucks as it went. Unfortuantely, it didn't get far enough up to stop Spalko's jeep. That was the one that had Oxley and the skull in it.

"Damn," Indy muttered, "I thought that was closer. Pull along side that duck up there!" He pointed to the boat-shaped vehicle that was used to travel on both land and water.

Marion nodded and did as he asked. When they got close enough, Indy leapt off and onto the duck. He dispatched the two soldiers aboard and then motioned for Marion and Mutt to abandon the truck and hop aboard.

They both did so and the Indy pressed the gas pedal and sent the vehicle in the direction of Spalko's jeep. Pulling along side, he ordered Mutt, "Grab the skull!"

Mutt nodded, attempting to reach to take the bag that was in the back seat. Unfortunately, Spalko was there, aiming a down-ward slice of her rapier that would have taken his hand off if he hadn't moved it in time. Stumbling backward, Mutt found a case containing the woman's extra foils and grabbed one. Standing up, he positioned himself in a fighting stance prepared to duel the dark haired Russian.

Seeing that his son was keeping the good Dr. Spalko occupied, Indy told Marion to take the wheel of the duck while he dove into the front seat of the jeep. He and the driver began a tussling match of their own, causing the vehicle to sway and bend. Spalko maintained her balance, however, and grinned at the teenager who had dared to challenge her.

"You are nothing more than a simpering child," she taunted him, grinning ferally. "A mere pain in my side. Nothing more." She launched out in a stabbing motion aimed for the boy's torso.

Mutt deflected the blow easily, the fencing lessons he'd been given coming back to him in a rush. "Lady," he told the woman, "I ain't a mere anything. If ya hadn't noticed I'm a Jones. That means, I'm a down right pain in the ass!" He swung his own blade at her, hoping to slice her abdomen.

Spalko, however, countered this and began attacking rapidly now.

While her son dueled, and Indy struggled to get control of the jeep (as well as aim a few punches at Mac while he was at it) Marion kept the duck as steady as she could but given the fact that they were rapidly running out of road wasn't easy. Looking back, she called out to her son to watch his footing, to correct his stance, to parry instead of lunge.

"Mom," Mutt yelled at her, exasperated, "this ain't no padded match, ya know!" He continued to trade sword strokes with the Russian, but he was beginning to tire.

Spalko sensed her opponent's weakness and smiled because of it. "Ahh," she crooned at him, "it is a shame you are tiring. You are rather good…for a child." She got underneath his blade then and delivered a cut to his right cheek.

Mutt cried out in pain, as blood began to pour down the side of his face and onto his neck. He fell back, landing in the backseat of the duck. His mother looked back in concern, and then in anger at the woman who had dared to hurt her baby! Jerking the steering wheel, she slammed the aquatic vehicle into the jeep.

The unexpected jolt caused Spalko to finally lose her balance and she fell back…landing nearly on top of Harold Oxley.

Indy saw this and punched Mac in the nose again. "Go on, Ox," he yelled at the zombie like man, "get in the duck!"

Oxley just looked at him. "Three times it drops, Henry," he said, "three times it drops."

Indy rolled his eyes and looked at Mutt in the duck. "Get him in there," he ordered his son, annoyed.

Mutt nodded and quickly got up and straddled the two vehicles. Grabbing a hold of Oxley, he yanked the man up (managing to knock the unconscious Spalko to the floor) and then into the duck.

Seeing this, Indy prepared to rejoin the others but Mac grabbed him. "Hold up, mate," the Brit said, "I'm comin' with ya."

Indy raised his fist to punch the man again, but he stopped him by saying, "For pete's sake, Indy, I'm CIA!"

Indy's fist froze. "What?" he asked skeptically.

Mac rolled his eyes. "I tried to tell you back in the tent," he said, "remember? I said 'just like Berlin'…well…what were we in Berlin, mate?"

"Double agents!" Indy answered, stunned. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Mac gave him a withering look. "What was I supposed to do? Paint it on my forehead."

Indy supposed he was right. "Let's go," he said, "but so help me Mac if you're lying I'll…"

The man nodded. "I know, I know," he said, reaching up to rub his still sore nose, "you'll break my nose again." Together, the two of them jumped into the duck and Marion disengaged.

Quickly scanning to make sure everyone was all right; Indy turned back around and froze. "Uh, Marion," he said, hesitantly, "I think you need to slow down. If we keep going, we're gonna end up in the river!" They were nearing the edge of the cliff even now and that worried him.

Marion just grinned. "That's the idea," she said, smirking. She stepped harder on the gas pedal.

Indy was shaking his head. "No," he said, "bad idea! Let me have the wheel." He reached for it, but she slapped his hand away.

"Trust me," she said, grinning again.

The look he gave her showed that he didn't. Not for a minute. Unfortunately, it was too late as the duck went over the edge of the cliff and began falling down towards the river.

"Ahhh!" Indy, Mutt, and Mac all three screamed as the aquatic vehicle landed with a great big slash! Marion just smiled at everyone, while Oxley remained in a daze.

Indy came up from where he had crouched down and glared at Marion. "Honey," he told her, sternly, "don't EVER do that again!"

Marion just chuckled. "Yes, dear," she told him, sweetly. _Too_ sweetly.

Indy still glared, but now that his heart rate had returned to normal he could focus on the something else; namely, the rather deep gash in his teenage son's cheek.

"You're gonna have a nice scar, kid," he told him, inspecting the cut, "but you sure weren't kidding when you said you could handle a blade!" He had been quite proud seeing the boy duel the dark haired Russian, knowing that it was _his_ son holding his own in a fight.

Mutt grinned. "I ain't half bad," he said, shrugging. "I still think it's a useless talent."

"It sure came in handy today," Indy told him, smirking.

"I guess," the boy said, shrugging.

"He's just being modest," Marion said. "He was fencing champ two years in a row."

"It would have been three, but…" Mutt started to say, but then stopped himself.

Indy and Marion looked at him curiously. "What?" they asked at the same time.

"Well," the boy said, wincing, "that's sorta why I got kicked out. I got caught betting on the outcome of the tournament. I bet on myself to win. I made a small fortune, too!" He bit his lip, knowing neither of them was going to like hearing that. _You should have just kept you big mouth shut, Jones!_

"You did WHAT?" Indy and Marion exclaimed at the exact same time, eliciting a laugh from Mac, who found the entire thing hilarious. It sounded like something he would have done as a kid.

"Young man," Marion told her son, sternly, "you are SO grounded when this is all over!"

Mutt winced. "Ah, Mom," he groaned.

"Now, Marion," Indy told her, sounding reasonable, "it isn't exactly right for you to punish him when _you_ used to do the same more or less. Remember those drinking contests in Napal?" Marion glared at him, but he just smirked.

Mutt brightened a little bit. "Yeah, Mom," he agreed with the old man, "it ain't right."

"That's why I'll just tan his hide," Indy said, "and _then _ground him."

"What!?" Mutt asked in disbelief, even more horrified now. "Ahh, man!"

"Come now, Indy," the Brit said, "it ain't so bad what the kid did. In fact, I think it shows resourcefulness!"

Indy glared at him. "Do you mind?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "I'm trying to be a good parent here!"

"Three times it drops," Oxley suddenly spoke, his eyes focused on something out in front of him.

The others all looked at him in confusion. "What's the blighter talkin' about?" Mac asked, confused.

Indy and Mutt shrugged. "Hell if I know," they answered at the same time.

"Uh," Marion said, her eyes as wide as saucers as she pointed out in front of them, "I think I know."

The others all turned to see what she was pointing at and all of them gasped in horror. They all then shouted the exact same thing at the exact same time.

"Falls!"

TBC…


	14. The Riddle

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 14: The Riddle

(A.N: Mutt receives a few swats from Indy.)

"Falls!"

All the occupants, except one, screamed this, as the duck plummeted down the waterfall.

Luckily, it wasn't a very far drop and while the vehicle filled with water done of its passengers fell out.

Indy and the others continued to scream for a few seconds after the fact, but then calmed down enough to breathe again.

"Well," he said, sighing. "That's one."

Mac looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean 'one'?" he asked, confused.

Mutt, however, had figured out what his father was eluding to. "Ox," he told the Brit, gesturing to the 'crazy' man who still clutched the bag with the crystal skull in it that he'd grabbed as he was pulled into the duck, "said that it 'drops three times' so…"

"Falls!" Marion cried out, pointing up ahead.

They all turned to see a second waterfall they were approaching. Once more they began to scream as the duck went over the side. This waterfall was steeper than the last and almost succeeded in dumping them out of the duck; but not quite.

By now they were all drenched, and the current was moving rapidly…towards a third waterfall!

"Here comes three," Indy said, frowning.

This waterfall was the steepest of all and _did_ succeed in dumping all of them out. As they fell, they screamed and then were all consumed by the water beneath. For several seconds, there was no sign of them but then five heads broke the surface and began swimming towards the shore.

As they crawled up, all bruised and battered from the drops, Indy made his way to Marion to help her up. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded, grinning. "I'll live," she said, "how about you?"

Indy smirked. "You know me," he said, shrugging. "It'll take more than that to take me out."

Marion laughed, pulling him down into a kiss. A groan got both their attention and they turned to stare at their son, who was still on his hands and knees.

Indy grinned, and went to help him up also. "Here, kid," he said, "let me help ya up."

"I don't need your help," Mutt snapped at him, still coughing the water out of his lungs. "I can get up on my own!"

Indy scowled. He was tired, bruised, and irritable; and what he certainly didn't need at the moment was a teenager with an attitude to deal with.

Reaching down, he grabbed a hold of the kid and yanked him to his feet. He then reared back and delivered three sharp swats to the boy's drenched backside.

_**SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!**_

Mutt yelped, grabbing his throbbing posterior and glaring at the older man.

"What was that for?" he asked, indignant.

"One was for the attitude," Indy told him, "one was for the disrespect, and the third…well, that one was just for being a pain in the butt! Turn about is fair play."

Mutt scowled, still rubbing his butt. "Sorry," he muttered, sourly. "I'm just not used to all this adventure stuff the way you are."

Indy grinned. "That's all right," he said. "There was once upon a time I wasn't used to it.

"Really?" Mutt asked him, curious. "When?"

"Oh," Indy said, smirking, "when I was first born."

Mutt rolled his eyes. "Gee," he said, sarcastically, "that helps a lot, Pops."

Indy chuckled. "Pops, huh?" he asked, grinning. "I can live with that."

"_Through eyes that last I saw in tears,"_ Oxley, who was staring at something in behind them, suddenly spoke.

Everyone was perplexed a moment, but then recognition brightened Mutt's face. "I've heard that before," he said, excitedly.

Indy rolled his eyes. "We all have, kid," he told him. "It's what he kept spouting back at the Russian's camp, remember?"

Mutt returned the eye roll. "I mean _before _then," he told his father. "It's from a poem written by T.S. Eliot that Ox had me memerize when I was like ten. It goes: _Through eyes that last I saw in tears; the golden vision reappears. Through eyes that last, here in death's dream kingdom, the golden vision reappears!" _He smiled, proud that he could remember it all the way through.

"What does it mean, though?" Marion wondered, curious.

Mutt shrugged. "H—" he started to say, but a disapproving scowl from both his parent's had in correcting himself "—eck if I know."

Indy followed Oxley's gaze, and then grinned. "I think I do," he said, pointing, "look." They all followed his finger back towards the waterfall they had just dropped from. On the other side of it was a cliff facing that looked like a skull! It's eyes were large and oblong, just like those of the Crystal Skull.

"That must be the way in," Indy said, smiling. "It looks like we have some climbing to do."

Mutt looked at him in disbelief. "Climb that?!" he exclaimed. "Without any gear! Ya've gotta be kidding me!"

Indy shrugged. "You don't have to come, kid," he told him, "but one way or another me and that skull is getting to Akator."

"After all the trouble that thing has caused us," Mutt grumbled, sourly. "I say we just toss the stupid thing."

Indy shook his head. "Sorry," he said, "but no can do. It has to be returned and I'm the one that has to return it."

Marion put her hand on his arm and looked at him in concern. "Why you, Indy?" she asked, puzzled by his determination.

"Well," Indy said, sheepishly, "because it asked me to."

"Asked you?!" Mutt asked a look of disbelief on his face. "How can a hunk of dead rock _ask_ anything?"

Indy smirked. "Who says its dead?" he asked, grinning. "Come on, let's get started." Wrapping an arm around their shoulders, he started for the cliff facing to begin a climb.

Oxley, still clutching the skull and muttering the lines of the riddle, and Mac followed.

Little did they know, however, that Irina Spalko and her men weren't too far behind them.

TBC…


	15. The Tunnels

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 15: The Tunnels

Indy insisted Oxley lead the way, as he had already been here once before. Behind him was Mac, followed by Mutt and then Marion. Indy brought up the rear…just in case.

Luckily, the cliff face had plenty of hand and foot holds for them to grab onto. Unfortunately, because of the water fall, the thing was _very_ slippery.

They were about half-way up when Marion's foot slipped and she screamed. She didn't fall, however, as Indy caught her around her waist and held on tightly. She smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

Indy smirked. "No problem, honey," he told her, and then helped her to start climbing again. When they reached the top, they were helped up by their son.

"Thanks, kid," Indy told the boy, leaning down on his knees to catch his breath after the steep climb.

Mutt smirked. "Not tired, are you?" he asked, teasing. "I thought you could handle such a little climb."

Indy grinned back. "There was nothing little about that," he told him, pointing back down the cliff face, "and you'll learn once you get older it stops being about the mileage and more about the years."

Marion grinning, remembering the time he had told her "it ain't the years, sweetheart, it's about the mileage."

Mutt just shook his head. "You really are one crazy old man," he said, chuckling.

Indy laughed, too. "Maybe so," he said, smirking, "but I'm _your_ crazy old man. Don't you forget it, either." He then reached out to ruffle the boy's hair, knowing it would drive him crazy.

Mutt, of course, automatically took out his comb from his back pocket and fixed his pompadour. "Watch the hair, will ya?" he groaned, smiling.

Indy just shook his head. "Kids," he muttered, and then went to stand beside Oxley. "Which way, Ox?"

Oxley pointed. "_To lay their hands on the golden key," _he spoke, "_that opes the Palace of Eternity_!"

Indy nodded, scratching his head. "If you say so," he said, and then started down the passageway the crazy man had pointed.

"Great," Mac muttered, following, "another riddle." He and the others followed the two professors.

They followed the darkened passageway, Oxley leading the way the entire time. They soon noticed that it was getting lighter and that their were scones fastened into the wall with lighted torches in them.

"Looks like somebody's home," Indy said, glancing back at the others. "Let's hope their friendly."

All three of the others nodded; they hoped so, too.

They continued on until they eventually came to a section where painted panels lined both sides of the walls of the cavern. Indy gasped when he saw them, for they were not only intricately drawn and full of detail but had to be at least several thousands of years old!

"These are amazing," he exclaimed, reaching out to touch one of the panels.

Marion did the same, bringing her hand back and smelling of it. "Charcoal, iron oxide, and something else…" she said, "but I can't make out what it is?"

Indy also touched the mural and smelled of his hand, hoping to identify the third component. "It's Ochre," he said, smiling. "That hasn't been used by anyone in at least the last three to five thousand years!"

"South America wasn't even inhabitated back that far," Mac grumbled in disbelief.

Indy threw him a withering look. "Don't be stupid, Mac," he told him, sourly.

"What's it mean?" Mutt wondered, curious.

They all gazed at the panel, which depicted a group of natives on their knees worshipping a figure that seemed to have come from the sky. The figure had an oblong head, just like the Crystal Skull. "Someone came," Indy told him, moving to the next panel, "that taught the people how to farm, build irrigation ditches, aqueducts!"

The next panel showed the otherworldly figure again, but this time there were twelve others with him. "Thirteen," Marion said, "and grouped in a circle."

"Their like that, too," Mutt said, pointing to the next panel which showed the thirteen oblong-headed figures sitting in thrones, each in a different stage of decay.

The next panel showed a group of seven men in armor fighting with the natives.

"Orellana and his men," Indy said, moving on to the next, "and then they stole one of the skulls." He'd reached the panel that showed the thirteen figures, now nothing but skeletons, with one missing its oblong skull. That was the last panel, for in front of them was an archway.

"Bloody 'ell!" Mac exclaimed, pointing to some charred looking bones that leaned against either side of the archway.

"What happened to them?" Mutt asked, gulping.

Indy placed a hand on his son's shoulder to calm him. "Easy," he whispered, "it'll be all right. Hopefully, we won't have to find out."

Mutt nodded and then followed the older adventurer through the stone doorway with his mother behind him and Mac behind her. Oxley, still clutching the bag with the skull, of course had continued on in front of them all.

They made their way slowly, alert for any signs of danger. The walls of this chamber were lined with stone carvings of skeletons, whose empty eyes seemed to follow them as they went.

"This place is starting to creep me out," Mutt muttered, and Mac nodded his head in full agreement.

"Me too, boyo," he said, "me, too."

Just then, the skeleton exploded and several very large warriors burst from them. They were big, well-muscled, and were carrying wicked looking weapons.

"Run!" Indy yelled, grabbing a hold of Oxley and started for the exit at the far end of the long hall way.

Marion grabbed Mutt, and then they both were right behind the two professors. Mac brought up the rear, but he too was running for his life. The warriors let loose with blood curdling war cries and came after them.

"Harold!" Indy cried, "How did you get past them before!" The man just continued to stare at him like a zombie.

The warriors had bolas, which they threw with deadly force. One of them caught Mutt around the neck and he went down, crying out in pain. Another caught Marion around the feet, and she too fell beside her son.

Indy whirled around, his eyes wide with horror. He quickly scrambled to their aide; taking down the two warriors who'd came upon them. He then undid the bolas and asked, "Are you all right?"

Marion nodded, glancing at Mutt. "Can you speak?" she asked, knowing the bola had caught him in the throat pretty good.

Mutt nodded, scrambling to his feet. "What are we gonna do?!" he asked, looking back and seeing even more warriors pouring from the tunnels now.

Indy grabbed them and headed for Oxley. "Harold!" he screamed, in desperation. "We…are…going…to…die!"

That seemed to wake the man from his stupor, because he blinked and then undid the bag with the skull. Taking the thing out, he held up high above his head. Instantly, all the Ugah, for these were the descendants of the city's original inhabitants, stopped in their tracks and fell to their knees.

Oxley then pointed to the large stone pyramid that stood before them. "Up," he said, simply.

Indy nodded, understanding. "Up it is, then," he said, still looking weary. "Come on, let's hurry."

The others nodded, and followed behind quickly.

The Ugah remained on their knees, all in awe of the skull.

Back at the cliff face, a black gloved hand appeared and Irina Spalko hoisted herself up. Colonel Dovchenko and her soldiers followed her up.

"At last," she said, awed, "we have found the entrance to Akator!"

TBC…


	16. The Key

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 16: The Key

Indy, Mutt, Marion, Oxley, and Mac all made their way up the stone stairs of great pyramid, that the archeologist/adventurer believed must have been the founding design of all the great South American pyramids that followed it. Just as the ancient Ugah language had been the "parent" dialect of many of the other ancient tongues, so was their architecture for other cultures buildings.

"This," Indy said, once they'd reached the top, "is incredible." He was a little bit out of breath, but he didn't care. He was standing, literally, on one of the greatest finds in the history of archeology.

"Ya can say that again, mate," Mac panted, his hands on his knees and his face very red from the climb.

Indy smiled. "Ya needed to lose some weight anyway," he told him, smirking. The Brit just glared at him.

"Now what?" Mutt asked, the least winded of them all except Oxley who didn't seem to notice anything, much less being tired. He smirked at his father. Youth had its good points, and this was one of them.

"Not sure," Indy said, shrugging. "What now, Ox?" He looked at the dazed man, who was staring at four obelisks that were lying on their sides pointing in four different directions.

He pointed. "_To lay their hand on the golden key,_" he said, "_that opes the Palace of Eternity."_

"Can't the bloke just give us a simple answer for once," Mac grumbled sourly.

Indy ignored him, thinking. "Obviously," he said, pointing to the four obelisks, "these somehow form the key that will get us inside, but how?"

Oxley walked over to the base the four obelisks were attached and touch a stone, one of several on each of the four sides, jutting out from it. He then looked at Indy, a look determination on his face.

Indy nodded, coming over and examining the stones. He found one that had sand leaking from it, which gave him an idea. Looking around, he found a large stone and picked it up.

"What are ya gonna do, mate?" Mac asked, puzzled. "Knock?"

Indy smirked. "Sorta," he said, and the brought the rock down on the stone to knock it loose. He hit it three times before it finally gave way, and sand began to pour from it. The four obelisks stirred a bit, but otherwise didn't move.

"I get it," Marion said, smiling. "We have to bring the four together to make one large obelisk. That somehow becomes the key!" Indy nodded, grinning proudly at her.

"Get a stone," Indy instructed Mutt and Mac, "and start bashing." He then proceeded to move onto the next stone in line.

Mutt and Mac each took one of the other sides and they all began smashing the stones loose, causing more and more sand to pour out of it. As it did so, the four obelisks began to rise ever so slowly towards each other. Finally, only one side was left untouched and the three of them tackled that one together. When Indy finally knocked the last stone loose, the four obelisks touched and became one large square obelisk that was rather spectacular looking.

"Okay," he said, scratching his head, "now— He never got the chance to finish as suddenly the bottom opened out from underneath them and they all dropped. It was only a few feet, as they landed on a stone stairway that spiraled downward. The stairs jutted out of the pyramid walls themselves.

"I guess we go down," Mutt said, taking a step down. As he did so, the step he was on began to slide into the wall. Losing his balance, a look of horror on his face, he suddenly fell backwards.

Indy was there, catching his arm and pulling him back up to the step he was on. "You okay?" he asked the boy, his heart racing in his ears.

Mutt nodded. "I-I guess," he said, hesitantly, "but that scared the crap outta me?"

Indy nodded, smiling in relief. "Me to, son," he said, ruffling his hair, "me, too."

Marion came to check on her son, taking a step down. Suddenly, all the steps began to slide into the wall. "Run!" she exclaimed, "now!"

They all began racing down stairs, trying to get to the bottom before the sliding stairway sent them to it the hard way. They had made it to just about thirty feet above the ground below when their luck ran out and the stairs slid completely into the wall. They all fell, screaming.

Marion was the last to fall, and she had expected to land rather hard on the floor beneath. She landed, instead, in the safety and security of Indy's arms. "Twice in one day," she told him, pecking him on the cheek, "my, a girl could get used to this."

Indy smirked. "Get used to it, honey," he told her, "cuz this time I ain't going anywhere."

Marion felt her heart swell with love for him then. She was about to kiss him, when Mutt suddenly shoved something into his father's arms. "Here," the boy said, "hold this." If he had to watch his parents make out one more time, he was going to be sick.

Indy glared at him, looking at the armored skeleton that had been thrust rather abruptly into his arms. "Do you mind?" he asked, sarcastically. "We were trying to have moment here? What are you looking for anyway?"

Mutt rolled his eyes. "Ox dropped that stupid skull!" he told them, searching the ankle deep water for the thing. "Here it is." He pulled the skull out and handed it back to Oxley.

Indy rolled his eyes and tossed the skeleton down. "Now which way, Ox?" he asked the man, as it was clear he who was now leading the way.

Oxley started down another passageway without as much as a word to any of them.

"That bloke has a few too many screw looses," Mac muttered, annoyed.

"Hey, shut up," Mutt told him, angrily. "It ain't his fault." His fist clenched and he looked like he was getting ready to punch the older man. His father's arm on his shoulder stopped him. Mac decided it was time to get moving then, as he quickly followed Oxley down the passageway.

"Simmer down," Indy ordered. "Now ain't the time."

Mutt glared. "Well," he grumbled, "he shouldn't say that about Ox."

Indy shook his head. The kid really was too much like him for his own good. "You mind your manners, boy," he told him, sternly, "or we might be finishing that discussion we started at the waterfall sooner than you'd like." He leveled the kid with a pointed look.

Mutt gulped. "Got'cha," he said, not wanting a repeat of the swats he'd received at the river, "but tell 'im to watch it."

Indy nodded. "I will," he said, "and if he says anything else _I'll_ be the one to put his lights out. Okay?"

Mutt nodded. "Sure thing, Pops," he said, grinning. "Whatever you say."

Marion looked at both of them and just shook her head. She started down the passageway after Oxley and Mac, earning her back a puzzled look from both of "her" men.

"What'd we say?" Mutt asked his father, curious.

Indy shrugged. "Beats me, kid," he said, jerking his head, "let's go." Together the two of them started after the others.

Above, the Ugah warriors lay on the ground. Their weapons had been no match for the machine guns carried by the Russians.

A cat like grin on her face and a look of pure fanatical ecstasy in her ice blue eyes, Irina Spalko headed up the stairs of the great pyramid.

_Soon,_ she thought, _what I seek will be mine forever!_

TBC…


	17. The Skeletons

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 17: The Skeletons

The passageway ended at a large set of doors with a the outline of a tall, oblong-headed figure carved into it. Oxley stopped, staring transfixed, and so did the others.

"Okay," Mutt said, "so…what now?"

Indy studied the door. "It's some sort of lock," he said, "and you need the right key to open it."

The teenager sighed. "Another key?" he asked, exasperated.

Indy chuckled. "Don't worry," he assured him, "I think this one we already got." He turned to Oxley and reached out for the skull.

Oxley pulled away, not certain he should release the skull or not.

Indy rolled his eyes. "I'll give it back, Harold," he told him, "I promise."

Oxley looked down at the skull a moment, and then handed it to him.

Indy took it. "Thanks," he said, and then turned to the door. The height of the figure was a good deal taller than him, he would need a boost or…

"Son," he said to Mutt, "c'mere."

Mutt came, looking at his father expectantly. "What?" he asked, puzzled.

"Here," Indy said, thrusting the skull into his hand, "let me give you a boost and place that in the skull up there." He pointed to the oblong-headed carving in the doors.

Mutt nodded. "Sure thing," he said, grinning.

Indy interlocked his hands together and the boy placed his foot into them. Heaving, he lifted the boy so that he was at the right level with the carving.

Mutt turned the skull and fit it into the opening until it matched it perfectly. He looked down at Indy. "Now what, Daddy-O?" he asked, curious. He got his answer when the sound of clicking was heard the and doors began to swing open. His father lowered him to the ground and he took the skull from him.

"Here you go, Harold," Indy gave the skull back to Oxley. "Told ya I'd give it right back." He ignored the eye roll Mutt sent his way.

"No more waiting," Oxley, speaking to the skull in his hand, said. "The one that was lost has been returned." With that, he walked into the chamber.

Indy, Mutt, Marion, and Mac all looked at each other a moment but then they too followed him into the chamber. The room was circular; which had two levels. Sitting on intricately carved thrones were thirteen skeletons made out of pure crystal. One of the skeletons was missing a head.

"Let me guess," Mutt said, smirking, "the skull belongs to that one."

Indy grinned. "We'll make an archeologist out of you yet, kid," he said, teasing.

"Don't count on it, Pops," Mutt said. "I'm gonna be a mechanic."

Marion sniffed at that, but Indy just grinned. "We'll see," he said, and then turned to Oxley. "Well, go on. We haven't come all this way and been through hell for nothing, Harold. Go give the thing its head back."

The sound of a gun being cocked had them turning towards Mac.

"I can't let ya do that, mate," the Brit said, the .45 pointed at all of them.

Indy looked, annoyed. "What are you?" he asked, sarcastically. "A triple agent!?"

Mac shrugged. "Sorry, Indy," he said, "but I was just lying when I said I was a double."

Marion glared at him. "I getting really tired of you," she told him, hands on hips.

Mac just shrugged. "Sorry, sweetheart," he said, "but yer always welcome to come with."

Marion snorted. "Hell will freeze over first," she told him, fire flashing from her eyes.

Again, the Brit just shrugged. "Can't say I didn't offer," he said, and then called out something in Russian. Irina Spalko and Colonel Dovchenko walked in.

"It's even more incredible than I could ever imagine," the female Russian exclaimed. "Think of all that we can learn from them, and the knowledge they can possess. They will teach me all that they know and then no force on Earth shall stop us! Stalin's dream shall become reality!"

While Dovchenko, his soldiers, and Mac held guns on them, she calmly walked over to Oxley and snatched the skull from his grip. "I will return this now," she said, "and the reward shall be mine." She turned and stepped up toward the headless skeleton.

"Whatever you say, lady," Indy told her, his gut instincts telling him this wasn't going to end prettily.

"You still doubt, Dr. Jones," Spalko said, her attention fully on the skeleton and skull. "How sad."

"Oh," Indy told her, "I believe you, sister…that's why I'm down here."

Spalko scoffed, moving to place the skull back in place. When she had got it within inches of the skeleton's neck, the thing sprang up and attached itself to the skull. The neck then came erect, looking just like the other twelve skeletons did.

Now completed, the eyes of the skeletons all started to glow and hum and the dais they sat upon began to spin ever so slowly.

Spalko backed up to those gathered in the center of the room, awed at the sight.

Oxley started speaking in a foreign tongue.

"What is he saying?" Spalko growled at Indy.

"He's speaking Mayan," Indy translated. "He says he—the skeleton, that is—wants to give us a gift for returning his skull."

Spalko's eyes shown with desire. "Yes," she said, turning back to the spinning skeletons. "I want to know EVERYTHING! Give it to me! I _need_ to know."

"Be careful what you wish for," Indy muttered, watching as the dais began to spin faster and the glow within the skeletal beings eyes intensified.

Mutt took a step forward, excited, but Indy's hand on his arm prevented him.

"Nuh uh," the archeologist said, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "Start back up."

Mutt looked confused, but then nodded. He and Marion began to do as they were told. Spalko and the Russians attention were now fully on the skeletal beings, and no longer seemed to care what they did or didn't do.

"Amazing," Oxley spoke, blinking, "their incredible, like nothing I've ever encountered before."

Indy grinned. "Welcome back, Ox," he greeted his now mentally-clear friend, "now let's vamoose." He snagged a hold of his poncho and started back up with the others. They made it to the door and were out of it.

"I think ya may be right," Mac said, not liking the looks of things. He quickly followed them.

Spalko's gaze remained on the beings, ignoring the uneasy looks her fellow Russians were giving each other. Suddenly, the dais began spinning at an advanced rate, blurring the skeletal beings into one. The glowing eyes shot a beam of light from them, striking the ice blue orbs of the Russian doctor.

"Yes," Spalko cried, in pure ecstasy, "yes! Give it to me! All of it!" The glowing intensified.

The woman began to groan in pain, words in every language known to man and several that weren't began to pour from her mouth. "Too much," she cried out, grabbing her eyes in an attempt to stop the knowledge that was pouring into her, granting her ultimate wish. "Too much! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Unfortunately, none of her soldiers could help her as the ceiling of the chamber suddenly opened, revealing a vast portal of some kind. One by one, it began pulling them into it. Colonel Dovchenko was the last to be pulled in. He yelled out to Irina, but she could not hear him.

In an alien tongue not heard in seven thousand years, the woman spoke a single sentence. "Your reward has been granted," she translated, screaming in agony. Flames then burst from her eyes and her body was consumed in blue fire. Her ashes then floated into the portal.

The pyramid then began to collapse.

Outside in the corridor, Indy and the others heard Spalko's final cry and winced.

"Can't say I didn't warn her," Indy said, and then he and the others continued to race down the corridor while behind them stones were following like dominos, being pulled into the portal that had opened up from within the skeletal chamber.

_Definitely time to go._

TBC…


	18. The Prize

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 18: The Prize

The great pyramid was literally collapsing in on itself, being sucked into the portal that had opened from within the skeletal being's, or whatever the hell they were, throne room.

Indy and the others were literally running for their lives, trying to not only escape the falling stones but were also trying to keep from being sucked into that swirling abyss.

"Everybody keep moving," Indy, who was bringing up the rear, hollered over the noise and chaos, "no matter what!"

"You just keep up with us, Jones," Marion hollered back, over her shoulder, "no matter what!"

Indy smirked. "You're the boss," he called to her, earning an eye roll from their son.

"Hey, wait up, mate!" a familiar voice called to him. "I'm coming with!"

Indy looked back to see Mac racing towards them. "Go to hell, Mac," he hollered back, not even bothering to slow his pace.

"Ah, Indy," Mac said, reaching the archeologist and putting his hand on his shoulder while he caught his breath for a moment, "don't be like that. It was nothing personal. I just needed the money."

"Friends don't sell friends out, Mac," Indy said, shaking his hand off.

Mac looked shame faced. "I know," he said, sadly. "All I can say is I'm sorry."

Indy sighed. No matter what, he couldn't just live him here to die. "All right," he said, jerking his head, "come on." Together the two of them raced after the others.

Unfortunately, the floor underneath their feet had begun to disintegrate and it was getting more and more difficult to keep their balance. They had just reached the stairs, when the swirling portal finally caught up with them. Mac had just taken a step up when the stair literally was yanked from underneath him and he began to be pulled into the portal.

"Indy!" he cried, trying desperately to clutch at something.

Indy looked back, his heart leaping in his throat. "Mac!" he called his bullwhip in his hand instantly. Letting it fly, he managed to snag the man's wrist. Unfortunately, the portal's suction was just too strong and it began to pull them both in.

"You have to let me go, mate," Mac told him, accepting his fate. "Otherwise, we're both gonna die!"

Indy felt guilt and grief war within him. "We've been through worse than this, Mac," he told him, trying to make light of the situation.

Mac shook his head. "Not like this, mate," he said, smirking. "Let go, Indy."

Tears stinging his eyes, Indy knew he had no choice. A flick of the wrist released the bullwhip and he watched in horror as his former friend was sucked into the swirling portal. He would have remained there staring, if Marion and Mutt hadn't called to him.

Turning, he started up the steps towards them…only to trip and loose his footing. The bullwhip in his hand went flying, and he felt himself being pulled into the portal!

"No!" Marion and Mutt cried at the same time.

Rushing forward, the teenager grabbed his father's bullwhip and let it fly…actually managing to catch a hold of his wrist.

"Get back to your mother!" Indy ordered his son, sternly. "Let go before we're both pulled in!"

Mutt shook his head, stubbornly. "No way," he said, "Mom needs you!"

Indy snorted at that. "She's done without me for nearly twenty years, kid," he told him, stubbornly. "She'll survive."

Tears stinging his eyes, Mutt looked directly into his father's gray-blue orbs. "I need you," he told him, his voice almost breaking. "Please, Dad, I need you. I-I didn't think I did, b-but I do. Please don't give up!"

Indy felt his heart wrench at the admission, and felt such a surge of paternal love for his son in that moment that it gave him the strength he needed to fight the vast suction of the portal. With his free hand, he gripped his bullwhip and started pulling himself towards the other end of it while his son pulled them both back towards the top of the stairs.

Once at the end, Indy unwrapped his hand and then pulled his son into a tight hug. "Don't worry, kid," he whispered, as Mutt clung to him, "I'm not going anywhere for a very long time. Don't you EVER do something that again, do you hear me?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Mutt snorted, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Like you'd even feel it," he said, cheekily. "I think the portal would have gotten you first."

Indy just shook his head. "Let's go, son," he said, "before your mother skins us both."

Mutt nodded and they raced up the rest of the stairs to join Oxley and Marion, who pulled them both into a crushing hug before they all turned and ran for the exit.

They managed to escape the pyramid, making their way up to a plateau above the ancient city just as the pyramid came crashing all the way down to reveal a spiral shaped object that hovered in mid-air and then vanished without a trace. They all watched in stunned disbelief as water began to pour into the plateau, creating a large mountain lake where the city of Akator had once been.

"Like a broom to their foot prints," Oxley observed, awed.

"Where did they go, Ox?" Indy asked, pointing to the sky. "Up there?"

Oxley shook his head. "No, Henry," he said, smiling. "They didn't go into space. They went into the space _between_ spaces."

"I don't get it," Mutt said, curious. "How did a legend about a city of gold come about if there was no gold?"

Indy shrugged. "The Spanish were greedy," he said, "and they thought the word that translated as 'treasure' meant gold when in fact it actually meant 'knowledge'." Heaving a huge sigh, he sat down on a nearby boulder. Marion joined him, sitting down on his lap and resting her head on his shoulder.

Mutt looked at them, annoyed. "You're just going to sit there?" he asked.

Indy grinned. "It gets dark fast in the jungle," he told him. "You _don't_ want to travel in the dark, do you?"

Mutt glared. "It beats just sittin' here," he grumbled, sourly.

"Come on, Junior," Indy told him, gesturing for him to sit beside him and Marion, "have a seat."

"Junior?" Mutt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Junior?" Marion repeated, smirking.

Indy chuckled, shaking his head. "You're granddad," he told his son, "is laughing his head off right now."

Everyone laughed at that, even Oxley. Sighing, Mutt decided he had no choice and sat down on the ground beside his father and mother.

"Just think, Henry," Oxley said, wistfully gesturing at the lake, "We actually stood within the greatest prize the world has ever known and now it's gone!"

"No, Ox," Indy told him, shaking his head, "that wasn't the greatest prize in the world."

"It wasn't?" Oxley asked, confused.

"No, Ox," Indy said, wrapping an arm around Marion's shoulder and placing a hand on Mutt's head, "this is."

They both smiled at him, and he smiled back.

They were alive, and they were together.

That, indeed, was the greatest prize imaginable.

TBC…

(A.N.—up next, the final chapter: The Wedding.)


	19. The Wedding

Indiana Jones

_**Indiana Jones**_

_**and the **_

**_Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_**

**1952 Version**

Summary: The events of the movie take place five years sooner: 1952.

Author's Note: Mutt is just fifteen when he tracks Indy down. Will follow story line of movie pretty well, if you haven't seen it DON'T READ THIS.

Warning: spanking later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones or any of these characters. They belong solely to George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paramount Pictures.

Chapter 19: The Wedding

The small white chapel on Marshall College's campus was filled with faculty, students, and long time friends on a bright summer day that boasted a gentle breeze and a cloudless sky. They had gathered to witness a most memorable event, probably the most memorable in the college's long history: Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones was getting married!

Indy stood at the front of the chapel, dressed in a brand new white suit, shirt, and bowtie. Beside him stood Marion, wearing a lovely white dress that was neither too elegant nor too informal; in fact, it was just right. It brought out her natural beauty, especially her bright blue eyes.

Those eyes shown with much happiness at this moment! She had waited for this moment for over thirty years. Today, finally, Indiana Jones was going to be her husband!

Standing on the other side of Indy, was Mutt. Dressed in gray suit similar to his father's, he looked quite dashing. He hadn't failed to notice that some of his father's female students were eyeing him appreciatively.

He straightened his tie a little bit more; maybe this dressing up thing wasn't so bad after all. He had wanted to wear his leather jacket, but his mom had vetoed that idea immediately. He still got to wear his motorcycle boots, though, so that was at least a little compensation.

The minister was just coming to the end of the ceremony. "Now that the vows have been spoken and the rings received," he said, speaking to the couple and those assembled, "it is my great pleasure to pronounce—"

He was cut off rather abruptly when Marion thrust her bouquet of flowers into his hands, grabbed a hold of Indy's jacket, and yanked him down into a kiss. She had waited thirty years, nine months, seventy-two hours, and thirty minutes she **wasn't** waiting a moment longer!

Finally: They were Professor and Mrs. Jones…and son, of course.

Indy was surprised at first, but then embraced her and kissed her back. The kiss heated his blood, sending it throughout his body…to certain "areas" he'd begun to wonder if they still functioned or not.

_Oh, yeah, it still works all right!_

"Atta boy, Henry," Harold Oxley, once more the clean shaven academic he had once been, yelled out as he applauded the loudest of all. "Well done!"

Indy pulled back. "Thanks, Ox," he called out; only to have it echoed a fraction of a second later by his son. He glared at the teenager.

Mutt shrugged. _What'd I do?_

Indy rolled his eyes, but turned back to Marion to pull her into another kiss. Again, the crowd applauded and cheered.

Mutt looked a bit disgusted being this close to his parents while they made out, so he moved down while others moved up to congratulate the couple. He was reaching for his jacket, which he'd given to Ox to guard with his life when the doors were blown open by a particularly strong gust of wind and his father's fedora blew off the hat rack and landed at his feet.

Picking it up, he dusted it off. He looked at it, then glanced at his father to make certain he wasn't watching, and then ever so slowly he started to place it on his head. _Just to see if it fits, of course…_

He had only got it within inches of his scalp when it was snatched rather abruptly out of his hands by his father. "Nice try, Junior," Indy told him, hooking him with his arm and starting down the aisle towards the door with Marion on one arm and Mutt on the other.

"I was only gonna try it on," the teenager grumbled good-naturally.

Indy smirked. "Maybe someday, son," he told him, "but not today."

They had stepped outside, to be greeted with rice thrown at them from the assembled (motley) guests. Indy's car had been decorated for the occasion, including cans tied to the back of it with words "JUST MARRIED: FINALLY!" hanging from the trunk.

The caused Mutt to think of something he hadn't asked them before now. "Where you going on your honeymoon?"

Indy and Marion smiled. They had both been in full agreement about this. "Paris," they answered simultaneously.

Mutt scratched his head. "Why?" he asked.

They both shrugged. "We've never been there together," his father told him.

"Oh," Mutt said, grinning. "Well, have a good time. Drop me a letter or post card, will ya?"

Indy grinned, looking at his new wife. "I guess we should tell him," he said, smirking.

Marion rolled her eyes. "Don't belabor it, Henry," she ordered, gently, "just tell him."

Indy winced. He was still getting used to her calling him that. It just didn't sound right, somehow…or even worse it _did_.

"Tell me what?" Mutt asked, eyeing them both suspiciously.

"You're coming with us," Indy told him, bluntly.

Mutt's mouth dropped open. "What the _hell!_" he exclaimed, stunned.

"Henry Jones!" both his parents exclaimed, glaring.

Mutt blushed. "Sorry," he said, "but who takes their teenage son along on their honeymoon!?"

"We do," Indy told him. "This is our chance to do something as a family—now that we _are_ a family. Think of it as a family vacation…probably the only one we're gonna get this year."

"Why's that?" Mutt asked, still trying to accept what he'd been told.

"Because in the fall you and I'll be too busy to go anywhere," Indy told him. By now, they had all piled into the car.

"What are we going to be doing?" Mutt asked, still trying to figure all this out.

"Well," Indy told him, "I'll be busy being an associate dean and teaching…and you'll be busy learning."

Mutt groaned. "Ah, man," he complained, "I'd hoped ya'd have forgotten about that."

Indy smirked. "Nope," he said, grinning. "I told you we weren't finished with or discussion and I meant it."

"But, _Dad_, " Mutt started to argue, but was cut off.

"No buts, Junior," Indy told him, firmly. "Come fall you're butt is going to be sitting in a desk—whether it's on a cushion or not will be up to you."

Mutt eyes widened that. "Man," he grumbled, slouching down in his chair. His whole day had just been ruined.

"Cheer up, sweetie," Marion told him, smiling. "You're going to have lots of fun in Paris."

Mutt rolled his eyes. "Sure," he said, "I get to sight see while you two get to—"

"Henry," again both his parents glared at him, cutting him off.

Mutt smirked. "I'm going to be hearing that a lot, aren't I?" he asked, knowingly.

Indy smirked at his son. "You're a Jones," he said, chuckling, "that much is certain. Everybody ready to go."

"More than ready," Marion told him, happily.

Mutt sighed. "I guess," he said, then smiled, "let's burn rubber, Pops!"

Indy smirked. "You got it, son," he said, and pressed the gas petal to the floor.

Tires squealing, the Joneses pulled away with the cans flying out behind them.

Indy couldn't help but smile.

_Maybe I'm not too old after all._

The End.

(Sequel: The Honeymoon Adventure. Coming soon.)


End file.
